A Light in the Dark
by WritingHobbyist2020
Summary: Lucy and her family have just moved into the city of Magnolia for her father's new job. Starting in a new school can be tough, especially when dragged into some strange world hidden away behind the curtain of everyday life. There are shadows creeping all around. Is there any light to illuminate the dark? Possible OC & OOC, Nalu and other pairings
1. Ch1 - That Pink Hair

Hey guys! Here's my second story! I hope you enjoy! :D As I don't plan on using my main oc's, i'm gonna show some obvious Nalu, Gruvia, Gale, and others :3 As the story progresses, I will add in character info, instead of displaying it up here.

_**WARNING!:**_

_**\- POSSIBLY OOC FOR SOME CHARACTERS.**_

_**\- LEMONS WILL APPEAR IN THIS STORY! THEY WILL BE MARKED SO IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THEM, YOU CAN SKIP PAST THEM!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams

* * *

It was an oddly warm fall Saturday afternoon, when a van pulled up in front of a light blue, two story house, and slowly turned into the driveway. When the driver put it into park, those contained inside practically spilled out. This included a black haired man in his early fifties, a woman brown haired woman in her late forties, a blonde, teenage girl about the age of sixteen, as well as a shorter, dark blue haired girl who was about twelve. The teenage girl groaned.

"Why the hell did you have to get a job out here dad? And how!?"

"Hey, watch the language young lady!" said the woman, "We raised you better than that!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and looked to the younger girl, who looked like she was about to puke. She helped her out of the car, steadying her. "You okay, Wendy?" she asked. The girl nodded quickly, gaining her bearings. "T-Thanks you, Lucy." she groaned. A meow was heard, catching the younger girls attention, as she reached into the car and opened the cage on the seat, releasing a white cat, with a pink bow tied to its tail. The younger girl smiled. "I'm glad to be here too, Carla!"

Carla meowed back, and walked around the front lawn. As their parents began unpacking the car, Lucy and Wendy went inside the house to look around. On the second floor, they each claimed their rooms, Lucy picking one a little too quickly before realizing it was in the front left corner of the house. The room was a decent size, with its own, small walk in closet. The room was a decent size, with its own, small walk in closet, as well as it's own bathroom. Although she was excited to make new friends, she was sad to leave what few friends she already had back where they used to live. She had to admit though, Magnolia was a lot bigger than she thought.

The city had an outer ring of neighborhoods and areas of a more rural setting than it's center, The inner part of the city was made up of medium buildings to large skyscrapers. They also noticed a lot of nice places to go shop, which she, her mother, and little Wendy gazed at with joy. Her dad, however, silently prayed they wouldn't drag him along. The one place they still had yet to visit, was the school she and Wendy would attending.

The building itself, as she'd seen online, was quite large, and consisted of middle and high school students, hence why'd they'd attend together. The one thing she didn't understand was their mascot: a fairy. Magnolia High, as it was called despite the grade range, had a fairy as its mascot, and everyone going there didn't seem to care. She sighed at that thought. A knock at her door caused her to sit up.

"Come in."

Wendy opened the door, which Carla used to slip in and curl up on Lucy's bed. The girl looked at her older sister with a smile after looking around her room.

"Aren't you excited, Lucy?" she asked, her brown eyes meeting Lucy's similarly brown ones.

The blonde shrugged and looked outside the side window, noticing a tree. _Strange_, she thought, _I didn't see that when we pulled up to the house._ She eventually shrugged it off and decided to give her sister an answer.

"I guess." she muttered, not entirely sure. "I mean, sure I'm excited for a new experience, but I miss our old home, my school, and friends."

Wendy nodded, but kept her smile as she sat next to Lucy. "But hey! Think of a chance to make new friends, and try new things!"

Lucy smiled and hugged the little bluenette. They weren't sisters by blood, though she wished she was. In fact, neither of them were related to the adults they came with, though the couple made them feel as if they were made to be a family. Lucy still remembered her parents, while apparently Wendy only remembered her mother. She only remembered her disappearing though, so it wasn't a great subject. But she could at least identify with the little girl as well. When she was around the age of seven, her mother was diagnosed with stage four heart cancer. The doctors had given her only a week to live, but she outstandingly fought for a whole year. Just enough to see her daughter turn eight.

Her father, used to be a kind man before Lucy's mother died. Something stirred within him, and turned him into a cold, unloving person. One, she didn't recognize. Things happened, and she ran away. Only to be found, and put up for adoption, and her father charged and sentenced to time in prison. She hadn't seen him since. When she arrived to the family she now lived with, she was an emotional mess after losing essentially both parents. Wendy, was like her little comfort animal essentially, with how she would always try to cheer her up. This brought her out of her emotional shell eventually, including the help of her new parents.

Her father, as she knew him to be better than her birth father, was named Ryan Ashley. He was at the age of fifty one, and he was a gym teacher at her old school. He was a retired police officer after he was shot on a case. Her mother, Claire Ashley, was a stay-at-home mom, who ran a company from her house, never having to go into her main building which was in Magnolia. She had just turned forty seven a couple weeks ago, and celebrated their thirtieth anniversary a couple days afterward. If she was honest, Claire reminded her of her birth mother, making her open up to them quicker, and uniting them for what would feel like to be the rest of their lives.

She was completely satisfied with her family, although missing her old one before things went downhill. But the past is set, and can never be changed. The future, however, wasn't, and looked bright from what Lucy could see. She glanced out her other window, facing the street in front of their house, and paused, She noticed someone walking along the street. Beside them was an animal, which appeared to be… a blue cat? And the person beside the little feline had pink hair? She blinked and rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming. She knew she wasn't when they were still their walking away from them, down the street. In all honesty, she wanted to know who they were but dismissed the thought when she heard her and Wendy's name being called.

"Lucy! Wendy! Come help your father and I unpack!" their mother yelled to them.

"Coming!" the two girls replied, making their way downstairs.

A couple hours later, they found their moving truck pulled up and people were moving furniture and other belongings into the house. When they finished bringing everything inside, they pulled away into the night, leaving everyone exhausted. Lucy dug through her clothes and put everything neatly away. When she got to the bottom of one of her boxes, the photo of her with her parents was there. She slowly picked it up, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. She hugged the photo, and set it back in the box, keeping anything she deemed valuable and not for her room with it.

That night after they all ate, she flopped on her bed. She had her own TV in her room so she turned it on, wondering what she should watch. She thought about catching up on Stranger Things, but put it off when she decided to look outside. The stars were out and there were no clouds, showing the glimmering dots' full beauty. She gazed at them until she saw out of the corner of her eye, the head of pink hair she saw earlier.

She thought it was strange to see the person again, only catching a glimpse at them from behind. She saw them turn around the edge of their lawn, and begin walking towards the back of their house.

Maybe they're trying to break in! She panicked, and ran to the room down the hall. She found that it was Wendy's room, which her younger sister looked at her confused. She bolted to the window, seeing the back of the pink haired suspect, but sighed when she realized he was going into the woods. Though that was awfully suspicious on it's own.

"Lucy, what are you looking at?" asked the younger girl, worried.

Lucy smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." she said, rubbing the girl's head before leaving. She headed downstairs to find her parents finishing up with putting everything in its place. Lucy grabbed a pair of shoes, her phone, and a flashlight.

"Where are you off too?" asked her mother.

"I'm going to go take a walk, if that's alright."

"Lucy, I do-" her Claire cut her husband off. "Dear, let her go. Maybe she'll make a friend." she smiled.

Ryan frowned. "Fine, but please be careful."

She nodded. "Got it, bye!" she said taking off out the front door.

"I wonder what's up with her?"

Clair shook her head. "Men can't always understand what's on a girls mind." she said, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Claire giggled and went back to washing dishes.

* * *

When she got outside, checked the time on her phone. The clock read about 8:30 pm and it was already quite dark out. She didn't know why anyone would be out this late, let alone walking into the woods. When she was sure her parents couldn't notice the light from her flashlight, she turned it on, gazing into the vast amount of trees. Slowly walking among them, she had lost all signs of the person she'd seen before.

_Who exactly was that?_ She wondered. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap. Snapping around, trying to find the source of the noise.

When she heard another snap, she started to back up, until she hit a tree. Her eyes widened in fear. She began to hyperventilate, her heartbeat rapidly increasing. She hadn't been this afraid in years. Before anything else could happen, she dashed through the woods back to her house, slamming the door shut. Her parents turned to her.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" asked her mother. He father rushed to her. "Are you hurt?"

The blonde shook her head. "N-No, I'm fine." she said.

"Then why did you run in the house and slam the door?"

She tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't come up with anything good. So, in a desperate attempt, she half lied.

"Well, I was looking around and just was spooked by some branches I stepped on."

"Branches?"

"Mhm, I was looking in the backyard." she said.

The adults looked at each other with confusion. Before they could ask anything else, the blonde quickly slipped upstairs. She sighed to herself, gathering her pajamas, and headed into her bathroom. After locking the door and undressing, the blonde glanced at herself in the mirror. She had remembered the scars on her body from her birth father, and saw a flicker of them. With the help of her parents for surgery and some time, they had disappeared. She also took the time to examine her body, wondering if she would draw any attention. In all honesty, she had a rather average bust size for a sixteen year old girl, and was rather confident in her womanly charm. Satisfied, she hopped in the shower, humming one of her favorite songs, _Shape of You_ by Ed Sheeran.

Finishing up in the bathroom, she decided to lay down on her bed, and watch some TV. She still knew she saw someone. It couldn't be her seeing things, or an apparition… could it? A shiver went down her spine at that thought, but she shook it off and settled under the sheets. It probably wasn't worth thinking too much about considering she just moved here. It was probably someone who's been doing that for a while. But it still made no sense. When she closed her eyes, she imagined what she'd get to do this year, and she had a hunch that it'd be the most interesting year yet.

* * *

She woke up to the sound of her alarm, alerting her to the first day of school. She groaned and rolled out of bed. She started stretching and walked over to her closet, wondering what would a cute outfit for the day. She decided to pull out blue tank top, with a white skirt. Looking in the mirror in her bathroom, she tied her long blonde hair into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. It was a birthday gift from her parents last year. She smiled, finishing getting ready. When she went downstairs, she found her parents and sister there waiting for her.

"Morning Lucy!" said Wendy with a smile.

The blonde smiled back. "Morning!" She sat down next to the bluenette, noticing a couple pancakes with strawberries and blueberries on top. She happily began eating, wanting to get to school as soon as possible. Despite her mixed feelings yesterday, she was rather excited today.

"Whoa, Lucy!" laughed her Father, "Slow down!"

After they had finished breakfast, he offered to drive them. Considering they were in walking distance, Lucy wondered if she'd meet anyone from the neighborhood she could be friends with.

_And maybe that person from yesterday goes to my school._ She thought.

She decided to do so, and declined her his offer. Wendy, looked at her father, and then sister. She seemed to be debating on who to go to school with. Wendy was a truly caring person and there probably wasn't anyone on the planet that had a kinder heart than hers. Her only flaws were her shyness at meeting new people and her self consciousness. Lucy had attempted to help her before, but the only thing that helped was getting to know the person she met, and she didn't just open up to anyone. In all honesty, she worried the girl wasn't going to have a good first day.

In the end, her father drove to the school alone, while the girls walked together. As they walked along the sidewalk, they noticed a couple other kids around their ages walking as well. The setting was peaceful as a slight breeze blew through. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a girl about her age, with blue hair, lighter than Wendy's behind her. Her hair was short and held up by an orange bandanna, matching her orange dress.

"Hey!" the girl said with a smile, "You just moved here, didn't you?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, we just moved here yesterday to be honest."

"I see. Well, anyway, I want to welcome you to Magnolia! My name's Levy, Levy McGarden!" she smiled.

Lucy smiled back."Nice to meet you Levy. My name's Lucy Ashley, and this is my younger sister, Wendy." she said, gesturing to the younger bluenette, holding onto her arm.

"N-Nice to meet you." she said. Levy smiled and leaned over to her. "I love your hair, Wendy." she said, noticing her two, long pigtails. They were held up by two, red animal ear like attachments. She was sporting a red long-sleeved jacket with white trim, with a blue skirt with the same. A small orange ascot around the collar. She nodded and gave a small smile. "T-Thank you!" she said. Levy giggled at the girls shyness.

"Which house did you move into?" she asked.

Lucy pointed down the street. "In that blue one, right there."

"Oh really? That makes us next-door neighbors!" Levy announced. Lucy's eyes widened, but she smiled. The bluenette told them that she lived in the beige one on they're right side of their house. They talked, getting to know one another, and they found they both loved to read. Already, the blondes hunch last night was coming true. She smiled as they came upon the large building that she'd be going to five days a week, for the next one hundred and eighty five days of the year.

"I officially welcome you to Magnolia High!" beamed the girl. Smiling, they walked inside the main doors, which on their own, were quite big. Tons of students of multiple grades were chatting away, meating old and new friends. After Levy showed the girls around a little while, the 8:35 am bell rung, signaling them to go to their first period. Lucy and Levy walked Wendy to her first class, waved goodbye, then headed to theirs. The blonde was grateful that she and Levy had the same class, guaranteeing she'd know at least one person. When they got into the classroom, their teacher, a man with short, orange hair, was sitting at his desk in the corner, reading a newspaper. He looked over at them, his dark green eyes focusing on theirs. He smiled.

"Well, hey there, Levy!" he said, putting the paper down.

The bluenette smiled. "Hey, Mr. Clive!" she said.

She'd heard his name before. But it only came to her when she saw his name on the white board. It read 'Mr. Gildarts Clive'.

"W-Wait, aren't you that famous boxer!?" she said in disbelief. He laughed.

"Well, I don't know about famous," he said, "but yes. I did do boxing, and still do!"

She was in awe. He was supposedly a reigning champ. How could he be so modest? Anyone would flaunt that.

"Don't be so weird dad." said an annoyed females voice from the back of the class.

"Hey!" he said, looking hurt. "Don't be like that, Cana!"

Levy giggled at his misfortune. When they sat down next to the girl in the back, the brunette looked at them. "Just ignore him." she said to Lucy. "He can be weird."

"Ugh. Why do you hate me Cana?" he cried.

"Juvia doesn't think she hates you." said another bluenette from the door.

The girl speaking in third person must be Juvia. Thought Lucy, who caught on to the girls speech style. The bluenette joined them, and introduced herself to the blonde. Apparently, the three had been friends for a long time.

They were talking for a while as others walked in, but Lucy's heart stopped when she saw on boy walk in. His black hair, and greyish-blue eyes, catching her eye. He wore a white button up, with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black pants. He had a cool look on his face, as he strode into the classroom with a boy, who was slightly less good looking as him, wearing glasses and had short orange hair, following him to his seat. Juvia practically jumped out of her seat.

"Good morning, Gray!" she smiled. Lucy could tell she liked the guy, who just nodded at her, causing her to semi-faint. The other two girls giggled, while other girls fawned over him. All of the seas filled, except one to her right. It was the farthest back row, and the rightmost column. She wondered where the person who'd sit there was. The 8:45 am bell rung and they all quieted down. Mr. Clive then began to speak.

"Alright, settle down." he began, "My name's Mr. Gildarts Clive, and you'll be having me for Math III for the first semester." he said. "You may call me either Mr. Clive, or Guidarts. I really don't care." he said. "Now, let's get this role call over with." In that time, she learned a couple names. The orange haired boy was Loke Martin, the black haired hottie was Gray Fullbuster, Juvia's last name was Lockser, and for some reason, Cana's last name was listed as Alberona.

He called Lucy's name right after Levy, who was on her left, and then got to the last name. He sighed, looking at the empty seat. "Has anyone seen Natsu Dragneel?" he asked, quite annoyed. Everyone shook their heads.

"That idiot's late again." sighed Gray. This slightly annoyed the blonde. There wasn't any need for that. She suddenly saw him as less of a potential boyfriend now. A couple others sighed, including her three friends.

"Who's this Natsu?" she whispered to Levy as Gildarts began teaching. "Well," she began but she was cut off by the door opening.

"It's about time, Natsu!" grumbled Gildarts.

"I was taking care of Happy." the boy's voice replied, equally annoyed.

When she saw the boy walk in, her eyes widened. He was wearing a black jacket with gold trim, as well as pants with the same colors. Golden skull designs on some parts of his clothing, with a white tee shirt underneath. His narrowed, faded jade eyes, caught hers as he walked in. But the thing that caught her eyes the most was his hair. It was pink, exactly like the person last night.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 1! I hope you all enjoyed. A little note, it's obviously in a modern setting like my first story, but there's no magic... or is there? Be on the lookout for newer surprises! ;)

Character's ages so far:

Ryan: 51

Claire: 47

Gildarts: 45

Cana, Natsu, Gray, Loke: 17

Lucy, Levy, Juvia: 16

Wendy: 12

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	2. Ch2 - I Want To Get To Know You

It's time for chapter 2 guys! I had a little break within the weekend that I fist published this story because of a swimming competition. I was feeling a little bit of writers block when typing it up, so sorry if its not the best! ;-;

Also, I welcome anyone who wishes to beta read the chapters before I release them in the future.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to all of the peeps who followed or favorited this story!:

\- CrazyZaika

\- Shaula78

\- Simusar

\- arcadea333

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call.

* * *

She stared at the boy until, and he stared back at her, his face unchanged but showing no hostility. This made her question what he was about. She wasn't going to lie, he was kind of hot. His eyes drew her in, but looked away, not wanting to seem weird. He sat down in the seat next to her, laying his chin on his arms, gazing at the board as Gildarts went back to teaching. His bag looked old, and his clothes didn't look new, but still had no tears of holes. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, and noticed him take out a notebook and began writing notes.

She began once more to wonder exactly why he went into the woods that late at night. She found herself sneaking glances at the pinkette every so often, which didn't go unnoticed by her friends. After their first period ended, she began walking to her next class, which she seemed to only share with Levy. Though, she did notice that Natsu was on the same hall.

"Is a certain someone catching your eye?" she chirped.

The blonde felt a warmth in her face as a light blush dusted her cheeks. "N-No Levy!" she stuttered, "I was just curious as to who he is!" she said, trying to brush off the bluenette's suggestion. The next class, being chemistry, went surprisingly fast. When the bell rang at 11:50 am for their hour of lunch, the two walked toward the cafeteria, where Cana and Juvia were just sitting down.

"So," said the brunette, raising what seemed to be a corkcicle mug towards them, "how's yer first day been so far, Lucy?"

The two sat down across from them. "It's been pretty good so far, though it's a little early to say whether I'll enjoy the semester or not." she replied. As Cana took a swig of her corkcicle, Lucy caught a whiff of alcohol. She sweat dropped at the girl.

"Is that, alcohol?" she asked, wanting to confirm her suspicion.

"Of course!" the brunette grinned. "I have some every day!" The two bluenettes sighed and nodded in confirmation. "You won't say nothing, right, Lucy?"

The blonde shook her head. "N-No, I won't. It's your business what you drink." _Even though you're underage._ She thought with a sigh.

"Hey there." said a familiar, cool voice. They all looked to find Gray and Loke, along with whom she assumed were a couple other friends of theirs. Juvia looked about ready to burst, while Lucy blushed slightly. Looking at him this close, she could tell he was athletic, as well as handsome. His spiky black hair, stroked backwards in a more organized way that the pinkette she'd seen earlier.

"You're Lucy, right?" he asked. She felt her heart beat a little faster as she nodded.

His lips curled into a small smile. "Cool. Are you enjoying your day so far, being new and all?" he asked, his hands in his pockets.

"Y-Yes, thank you." she said, feeling drawn to his cool and calm composure. In the background, she heard Juvia whisper something along the lines of 'love rival' or something. But something was off. He sure seemed cool, but his remark about Natsu earlier had thrown her for a loop. Just what kind of guy was he truly?

"Gray, about Natsu," she asked. Before she could continue, she saw his face go from a small smile to extremely annoyed. "What about that idiot?" he said curtly. She knew it. All respect, and attraction she had previously felt toward him flew away with that remark. She frowned.

"What's with the attitude towards him? Do you have some sort of grudge against him or something?" she asked, annoyed herself.

"Tch, that idiot's the most destructive, annoying son of a bitch in this building!" he growled. "He should've been kic-"

She shot up, slamming her hands on the table, causing him to jump slightly. It not only shocked him, but grabbed the attention of almost everyone previously chatting amongst each other in the loud room.

"You're an ass, you know that?" she snapped, "Before you judge someone, how about you take a walk in their shoes! He could have gone through something painful to make him like he is!"

He looked stunned, as well as about everyone else. "Why are you sticking up for him?" he growled.

"Because he's not the only one here who's been taunted and made fun of! Whose been excluded because of how he acts, based on how he was raised!"

"So what?"

She'd had enough. So she did the only logical thing she could think of in that moment: she slapped him. Gasped erupted throughout the entire cafeteria. She stared at the noirette with narrowed, angry eyes, as he looked at her, unable to do anything as he felt his cheek.

"What's going on here?" demanded a female voice. They all whipped around, while everyone except the furious blonde shuddered in fear."Shit!" he squeaked.

She turned to find an average high girl with long scarlet hair, and brown eyes, walking towards them. The way in which she walked showing authority, she walked right up to Gray, grabbing him by the collar.

"What are you doing, Gray!?" she growled.

"U-Um," he stuttered, trying to find something to say to get him out of this predicament.

"Who's that?" Lucy whispered to Levy.

"Erza Scarlet. She's a senior and one of the well known and studious girls around the school." she replied. "She's also the president of the student government, and a star and captain in softball, track and field, as well as the swim team. Not to mention one of the people you don't want to mess with or to find out you've been picking on someone, not that it reaches her ears a lot."

Lucy was shocked, and as she finished chewing out Gray, Erza turned to her.

She smiled sincerely at her. "I'm sorry. Gray and Natsu don't exactly get along, no matter how much I tell them to." she said glaring at the noirette again, as he turned with his group and left. She sat down with them. "As for Natsu, he doesn't really talk much to anyone more than he needs or wants too." she said.

"Oh," said the blonde. She looked around the cafeteria for the pinkette, wondering if he heard the argument, but couldn't spot him. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"Normally, he goes to the roof and eats by himself." she responded. Immediately, the blonde stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the girls confused at what she was doing.

"Gihihi. Looks like blondie's going to try and talk to him." chuckled a tall boy with long, spiky black hair, as he walked up to the girls.

Another boy, taller than him with shorts,spiky blond hair walked up next to them. "She won't get anything out of him, Gajeel."

"I know, Laxus." replied the noirette. His pierced face forming an amused smile. "I'd pay to see him flip out at her!" he laughed. The blonde rubbed his lightning bolt scar running over his eye and shook his head.

"Now boys," came a female's voice, "be nice. Maybe he'll warm up to her." said the girl walking up to them. He silvery-white hair glistened in the light as a boy with similar hair, but tall and muscular physique walked up beside her.

"Mira's right. It's not manly to make fun of girls." he said.

"Shut up, Elfman!" grumbled Gajeel, crossing his arms. Laxus just shook his head. "Well, Mira, I actually hope you're right. The girl nodded.

I_t's about time for someone to befriend him._ She thought._ I just hope she's the one that will break him out of his shell._

* * *

As she made her way to the roof, she wondered how Natsu would react. Would he be bitter, or would he be shy? She scratched the latter off as not possible due to the look in his eyes earlier. He didn't look shy. More like a person who would prefer being alone. But wasn't that being shy? No, it couldn't be. Should it? The conflicting statements and questions in her head kept jumping around in her brain, making her feel slightly light headed. She reached the door leading outside to the roof, slowly and quietly turning the handle. She cracked the door open, looking outside.

Sure enough, there, sitting on the edge of the roof, was Natsu. The back of his head facing her, and seemingly not noticing her presence. She slowly shut the door behind her, noticing he was looking up, probably in thought.

"Why?" he said aloud.

She questioned what he said and why.

"Why'd you have to leave, Igneel?" he asked to no one in particular. "And just where the hell did you go?"

She figured this Igneel was probably his father, meaning that his father left him. But what about his mother? More questions flooded her head after those few words. After a while, he spoke, but she was surprised at what he said.

"I know you're there."

Huh? Is he talking to maybe a dead relative? Maybe like people do to themselves when-

"Are you just gonna stand there?" he said, slightly annoyed. She realized he was looking at, and speaking to her.

Her face flushed pink when he stood up and walked up to her, his faded jade eyes staring in her chocolate brown ones. He was so close to her, she could feel the hot air from his nose. His eyes were only slightly narrowed, not angry or annoyed, but in a curious fashion. His short, messy pink hairs fidgeted as a slight breeze blew through.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"What?"

"I said, who are you?" he repeated, still looking her dead in the eyes.

"L-Lucy, Lucy Ashley." she replied, nervous at how close they were. Silently, they stood there as he continued to stare at her.

"What do you want?" he asked. The way he did so, again, wasn't annoyed, but rather curious.

"W-Well, um," she began, not knowing where to start. "I just thought, you know, I'd get to know you." she said.

He raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I'm sure you've heard everything people say about me, so why would you want to get to know me?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Well, not everyone is perfect." she said narrowing her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. "And you can't just judge someone by a couple of things they've done or said."

He looked at her silently, then began laughing. "Oh man! I don't know what you see in me, but thanks!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye. After he calmed down, they sat down on the ground.

"You know, normally I don't act this way around people." he admitted. "I'm never this welcoming when talking to others. I don't know why, but you seemed easier to talk to, I guess."

That made her blush a little, which he noticed, causing him to look away from her with a small blush of his own.

"Why exactly does Gray have problem with you?" she asked. She hadn't gotten a straight answer due to her cutting him off. He huffed. "Hell if I know." he said, eyes narrowed. "Believe it or not, we actually used to be friends."

She looked at him, wondering how things got to this state if they were friends.

"I used to have a friend." he said. "Her name was Lisanna Strauss. We were pretty close for a couple years, but then…" he stopped, his face darkening, a look of sadness coming over it. "A few years ago, she was killed in an accident. A truck hit a bus she was riding, on the way to visit me, and she never came out of the fire. Not even her bones remained." She heard a slight crack in his voice and saw a tear stray down his cheek. She felt her heart wrench at the thought of losing someone close to her. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt.

"She was one of my only friends." he continued. "As you probably heard me asking why a person named Igneel left me, that's because he was my father. He wasn't my real father biologically, but in my heart, I know he was more than anyone could ever be. Before Lisanna died, he had disappeared without a trace, or even a note to where he was going." he said. "Gray and I were friends long before she came to be my friend. When Lisanna died, Gray then started acting like it was my fault. I found out that he had liked her and resented us being close."

"O-Oh." she said, understanding a couple things now.

"I reacted back, considering I went into a depression after she was gone. And, well, things are how they are." he finished. She attempted to absorb it all in, but had a hard time doing so.

"What about your father?" she asked. "Do you have any other family?"

She regretted asking that. She felt she was prying into his life and annoying him. To her surprise however, he shook his head. "Nope. I have no relatives to speak of, or as a matter of fact, I live on my own."

"What?" she gasped. "H-How?"

He chuckled. "I live in the woods, in a small shack I built myself." he said proudly. "It's just me and my cat, Happy."

"By the way Natsu," she said, "since when are cats blue?"

He looked at her, his face showing he was surprised. "How'd you know he was blue?"

Her face reddened, realizing she basically admitted to watching him. "W-well, I k-kind of saw you pass by my house." she said.

"Oh! So you were the one who followed me!" he said in disbelief."

"What!? It looked like you were going to break in to our house!"

"Just who do you think I am?" he said, feigning hurt. Lucy rolled her eyes, smiling at his antics. He laughed eventually, and smiled at her.

"You know what, Luce?" he said, causing her to blush at the nickname he gave her.

"What?"

"I think I'd like to get to know you as well." he said. His grin was infectious, causing her to grin as well.

"And this is where they begin the action in the bedroom."

The two's faces reddened like tomatoes as they jumped up. Their heads snapped to the door that had been previously shut with multiple heads peeking out.

"C-Cana!" squeaked a redhead, gaining Natsu's attention.

"Erza!?"

"What the hell is going on here!?" cried Lucy.

* * *

As everyone sat down on the roof, they all made they knew each other, exchanging names and a few bits of info with the blonde. Lucy officially met Laxus, Gajeel, Elfman, and Mira, as well as getting a reintroduction to Erza. Natsu seemed to know them all, and seemed to be at slight odds with Gajeel, since they kept trying to fight each other. She sighed, but once again witnessed Erza's authoritative power as she stood and glared at the two, immediately calming them down.

"Now that everyone has exchanged names, and stopped making vulgar comments," Erza said, glaring at the brunette. "Would you be willing to call us your friends as well, Natsu?"

Natsu stared wide eyed at her, as well as everyone else. "First off, why would you want to become friends with me? Out of pity?"

"You're willing to become friends with Lucy, so…"

"Well I can tell it's not out of pity, but in sincerity." he said.

"As do I. If you don't believe us, let us prove it to you. If any of you would be willing to be friends with Natsu, raise your hand." It was almost a child-like way of solving his doubt, but it seemed to work considering everyone raised their hands. Including the two who seemed like they wouldn't: Laxus and Gajeel. She looked at Natsu, and could see a sincere smile. He seemed so happy to see them all raise their hands. In all honesty, she was glad that this situation came to be. She was helping out a troubled friend, which was one thing she loved to do.

"We all know you're not the best behaved," said Erza, "but that shouldn't stop someone from being friends with someone they don't know the truth about."

"Wait," he said, "You all heard that whole conversation, didn't you?" he said worriedly.

A couple snickers and sweat drops came upon those around them. His head hung low in defeat. Lucy giggled at him. When the bell for lunch to end sounded off, they went to their next classes, promising to see each other again. Lucy, now having multiple friends on her list, including Natsu, smiled to herself. This year was already turning into a favorite of hers, and she hoped for the best. Then she remembered her last class, being the one her father taught, and one she'd share with pretty much everyone who was on the roof. As the third period bell rang, she began her third class wondering how Wendy was since she hadn't seen her. She made a mental note to ask her if she made new friends, and tell her about the ones she made herself.

* * *

A man with short black hair walked up to a window. He gazed out overlooking the city and all of its residents. A smile formed on his face. He reached into his black, knee-length coat, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed number and waited until someone picked up.

_"Boss."_ a man's voice said, _"My underlings are ready to move out for the next batch. We're just waiting on you're signal."_

The noirette smiled. "Good. I think it's time to bring in another group of subjects." he said. "Unfortunately for you thought, most of the ones we already had didn't survive. You better hope some of these will suffice."

_"Of course, sir."_ The man replied. _"Soon, you'll have what you need."_

"Stand by afterwards for my next orders."

_"Understood."_ With that, he hung up.

_Soon._ He thought, turning to a photo on his desk. _Soon, I'll achieve my goal, brother._

* * *

Shame on me for realizing this now that all the times I used noirette, pinkette, etc., that those words are used to describe females. I'm bout to lose it. Tbh though, I don't really care considering I'm too lazy to find the proper male versions. If anyone finds them, feel free to let me know so I don't look like any more of an idiot than I already do lol.

**IMPORTANT NOTE!: some topics in this story from here on out are NOT to joke about. I will only be using them in this story to develop the plot. If you have depression, or know someone with it, either help them any way you can, or call the National Helpline. Depression is a serious topic and I apologize if the mention offends anyone.**

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Erza, Laxus, Mira: 18

\- Elfman, Gajeel: 17

As for this chapter, looks like the somewhat closed off Natsu has opened up to Lucy and the others, her more than the others it seems. What will happen next, who is the black haired man, and what is he up to? Find out next time!

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	3. Ch3 - True Trouble Starts

Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Also, happy MONDAY ;-;

In the last chapter, Natsu opened up to Lucy, unintentionally spilling some of the beans of his life to the others. Doing so, informs them of some potential reasons of why he acted the he has, but is that really the reason? HAHA, yeah, it's gonna be covered in this chapter, confining whether or not this is true. And if we all remember the black haired man, what exactly is he up to and why? Who is this brother he speaks of? All this and more in this and coming chapters! :D

Lastly, a shout out to my first follower!:

\- bahall1964

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

All her hopes of a completely drama free day had gone down the drain when she'd had her argument at lunch with Gray, but now, she could tell that not only did they dislike each other, but they'd go all out to one up the other as well. During their fourth period which was gym, her father introduced himself to her class, making a few remarks. Only a few recognized him to be her father, but didn't really say anything in regards to that. Luckily, all of her friends shared the same class as her, making her feel much more comfortable. There was only one problem now, which was the fact that Gray and Loke were in their class. Both Natsu and Gray would glare at each other when either her father or Erza weren't looking.

When all the students were let loose to do as they pleased, as long as it was a physical activity, the two boys made their way to the starting point of the outdoor track. Gajeel, seeming to want to join in, lined up next to them, and all three began running. It seemed almost inhuman that they ran as long as they did, considering that one lap around the oval shaped track was one fourth of a mile. Her father seemed impressed that the boys collapsed after about ten miles, which was approximately a couple minutes before the bell rang.

Lucy walked over to Natsu, who was panting on the ground, covered in sweat and looking like he was about to die. She had grabbed his water bottle so he wouldn't dehydrate, and handed it to him.

"Th-Thanks." he panted as he sucked down at least half the thing straight away. She nodded with a sigh.

"Wasn't that a little overkill? And what the hell are you anyway, running that much, going that fast?" she questioned.

He looked back up at her after he took his mouth off the bottle. "I run around our section of the neighborhood 20 times a night." he said.

"That's not normal."

"Oh well." he said with a grin before he chugged more water down. She blushed as she noticed that his athletic figure was shown through his damp clothes as they hugged his body. Her mind began wandering, thinking about what it looked like underneath.

Thankfully, her friends snapped her out of her trance before he noticed her staring.

"Lu!" yelled Levy, "Is he okay?"

"Yeah! He's just a little tired!" she replied. She noticed the bluenette was beside Gajeel, helping him up and handing him water. Just like Natsu, he sucked quite a bit down. Cana seemed to be having a field day, pairing the two up as she looked at the two, smirking the whole time. While that was happening, a blue haired boy was chatting with Erza. Natsu, who got up, rubbed her head. "Thanks for bringing me my water, Luce!" he said, that same grin coming over his face. She blushed a little and smile back, knocking his hand off her head playfully.

"No problem, just don't expect me to save your ass every time you tire yourself out." she said, earning a laugh from him.

"Sure, we'll see." he said as they walked inside. By the time it took her to register what he said, he was walking into the boys locker room. She wondered what he meant by that statement, and earlier thoughts re-invaded her mind against her will. As she and the other girls changed, she took note of the competition. The girls in the class had varying bust sizes, some such as Erza and Mira, seeming slightly bigger than hers, not that she thought that having extremely large breasts was neither a bad thing or a good thing, but she attempted to reassure Levy, who seemed to be less than average.

"Why me?" she cried.

"Lev-"

"Don't be such a worry wart! I'm sure Gajeel like 'em small." teased Cana, causing the bluenette to blush furiously.

"W-What the hell are you talking about, Cana!?" she cried.

The brunette laughed at her friends bashfulness on the subject. Lucy just sighed and finished getting ready. She remembered when Natsu was talking about where he lived, and decided to ask him to walk home with her.

"As for you," said Cana, suddenly gripping Lucy's breasts from behind, "I have no doubt that either Gray or Natsu would loooove these~"

Lucy squealed as the brunette felt her breasts, twitching at the feeling until Erza cracked her hand down on Cana's head.

"Cana! Please refrain from doing that!" she growled at the brunette who was rubbing the bump on her head.

"Ow! Ok, geez!" she grumbled. "I was just messing around!"

Juvia in the meantime was staring dead at Lucy, muttering something like 'love rival' again, while sizing up her own breasts. Cana remarked that Gray might like hers, and the poor girl fainted on hearing the comment.

_Yup, she loves him_. Thought Lucy with a sigh.

When she exited, she and all the others in her class had gathered in the gym, waiting for the final bell to ring, she walked up to Natsu who was back in his clothes. He was finishing lacing up his brown brown boots when she got over to him. Jealous greyish-blue eyes watched them as they conversed.

"Hey Natsu, would you mind walking home with me and my sister today?" she asked him.

"Sounds good!" he said smiling. She nodded with a smile. "Oh! Please forgive her, she's a little shy around new people." she said. He nodded in understanding, hopping up from his seated position, stretching. Thankfully, the 4:00 pm bell rang, and they were released. The two walked into the large lobby where they found Wendy waiting for them. When the younger girl saw Natsu, a worried look came over her face. Lucy smiled reassuringly at the bluenette.

"Hey Wendy, how was your day?" she asked.

"I-It was fine, thanks." she said, her nervousness showing.

"By the way, this is Natsu." she said gesturing to the pinkette. He flashed a grin at her, which the girl eased into a smile of her own.

"N-Nice to meet you, Natsu." she said.

"Same here!" he said. The bluenette gave him a smile which Lucy noticed was a more genuine smile, less nervous than the last. This confused her and she reminded herself to ask her sister about that later.

They began their walk home, passing by other students. A large, yellow bus came from behind them, Levy, sticking her head outside the window and waving at them. As she waved back, the blonde assumed would be one that picked up those around her house. By the time they had reached their house, she noticed her father's van in front meaning he beat them home.

"Hey Natsu, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" she found herself asking. This surprised him as well as Wendy.

"Are you sure your parents won't mind?" he asked.

She shook her head. "My mom loves to cook." she explained. "I'm sure she'd be happy to have you over!" she smiled.

"What about your dad?" he asked. She froze for a second, wondering how'd he would react. Had he heard about Natsu from other teachers? If so, what did he hear? She sighed, deciding to risk it. "If he has a problem, I can be very convincing." she said. He smiled and scratched his head. "Alright, I'll be around, say, is 7:30 okay?" he asked.

"That's fine!" she smiled. "Great! I gotta run and take care of happy before I head to work, I'll see you in a little bit!" he bolted towards the woods behind their house. She waved goodbye, while Wendy just stared at the boy.

They walked into their house, welcomed by their father, staring at her with a suspicious look. "Was that Natsu I just saw running into the woods?" he asked.

"Uhh, yes?" she said, nervous about what he would do.

"Dear, they just walked in. Give them time to settle down after their first day of school." said their mother who was at the table with her laptop.

He huffed and joined her at the table, sipping on a drink he pulled out. The girls sighed and began unpacking their bags. _Wow. _thought Lucy,_ He's going to chew me out, isn't he?_ Wendy gave her a sympathetic look before running upstairs to her room. Lucy walked into the kitchen where her parents both stared at her. She fiddled with her fingers. "He's just a friend, okay?" she said.

"Oh reeeally?" purred her mother with a smirk, causing the blonde and her father to gape at her.

"Mom!" she cried.

"Seriously Lucy." said her father, getting to what he wanted to ask. "What exactly is your relationship with that boy?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I just met him, dad! I can't just date someone I just met, can I!?" she said, annoyed.

"I'm just concerned about you." he said. "I've hear-"

"Let me stop you right there." she said, cutting him off and surprising both the adults.

"Lucy, wh-"

"I've already heard enough of the things said about him, unjustly said if I might add." she said, angrily. She'd never gotten really angry at them, note even upset with them. This was a totally different level which surprised everyone in the room.

Her father narrowed his eyes again, recovering from his shock. "What has gotten in to you?" he asked, slightly annoyed himself.

"You remember the story about my biological father, don't you?" she said firmly.

"Yes, of course, but that had-"

"He has **no one.**"

They looked at her. "What do you mean, no one?"

"No parents, and no relatives. He didn't really have any friends either!" she said. "I remember feeling the way he did, when you first took me in! Alone and scared, I couldn't help myself but feel bad for him!"

They listened to her as she told them the major events of the day. Slowly, she saw them beginning to understand his situation.

"So he lives by himself, in the woods out back?" her mother questioned, earning a nod from her daughter. "Yes. Look, I'm sorry I got angry, it's just-" she felt terrible for getting angry at them, especially since they didn't know beforehand what Natsu's circumstances were. A lone tear streaked down her cheek as the two got up and hugged her.

"It's okay, Lucy. Don't worry, we know you were just trying to defend him." her mother said smiling. "And we're proud of you for standing up to that boy."

"Just next time aim lower." laughed her father, earning him a punch in the arm from his wife. "In the meantime, now that you mention it, do you know where he works?" He questioned. Lucy shook her head. "I was about to ask, but he had to take care of his cat, Happy." she said.

"Interesting." Suddenly, they saw a flash of pink run out from the woods. "Well, you could ask him now."

Lucy nodded and went outside, to ask him. She noticed a bus coming down the street, one of the transit ones she'd seen in the city. He was bolting for it with a large guitar case in his hands. She waved at him. "Natsu!"

He noticed and almost face planted when he tried to wave back, tripping over his feet. In a couple of minutes, she had her parents permission to go with him to his job to see him perform. The story was that Mira and Elfman's parents owned a bar, and had offered to let Natsu perform there for about twelve dollars a song. She was surprised it was per song, but she suddenly understood, considering their mother was a supermodel, and that their father was the owner of the bar in the city, which happened to be the most popular around. According to what Natsu said, he wasn't the best, but he tried. Some nights, he would take sing song requests from the week before, which Mira provided for him. She wondered how well he sang, and what types of music he could play.

When they arrived, the building that contained the bar was quite large, and she found this to be even more so when they walked inside. The place was packed with people ranging from college students, to elderly folks. Some music was playing in the background as they walked to the bar. The blonde noticed Mira and Elfman behind it, which the former waved to them.

"I see you've brought Lucy tonight!" chirped the girl. Natsu nodded. "Yup! You mind if she stays to watch?"

"Not at all!" she said smiling. Natsu waved to her as he went over to the stage, setting up a stool and pulling one of the microphones to the edge. Elfman offered to take over Mira's part so she could keep the blonde company as they sat at a table close to the stage. Natsu sat on the stool, holding an acoustic guitar that he had pulled out of the case he brought. Other men and women were on the stage with other instruments. He tested it, then began to strum his guitar.

"Oh, so he's going with his favorites tonight!" Mira chirped, clapping her hands together. Lucy stared at the boy, not recognizing the tune. As the others on stage seemed to pick up their parts of the tune, Natsu began to sing.

_Been flyin' solo for so long_

_Nobody's singin' the harmony_

_Up there just me and my shadow_

_No bass, no guitar, no tambourine_

_And I found you like a melody_

_You were singin' in the same key as me_

_We had 'em dancin' in the streets_

Lucy was captivated by his voice. It was beautifully in tune with the instruments as she watched him sing. His eyes had been closed when he began, but now they were looking around until they found hers. It seemed as though he was singing to her, and only her.

_I don't wanna be a one man band_

_I don't wanna be a rolling stone, alone_

_Puttin' miles on a run-down van_

_Baby, we can take our own show on the road_

_I'll lay down the beat, you'll carry the tune_

_We'll get tattoos, and we'll trash hotel rooms_

_Baby, take my hand_

_I don't wanna be a one man band_

He continued to sing the rest of the song, every once in a while, glancing her way as a smile would come over his face. When he finished, the room erupted with applause from the customers as he switched to the next song. Mira explained that he tended to sing more country based songs. The little things she knew about them from when they were younger was that he sang them based on where he was raised by Igneel, out in the country.

The rest of the night was pretty interesting. He sang multiple country songs, but a couple more contemporary, and even a few rock songs. His range of music was incredible, and all the while, he seemed to be enjoying it.

"You know," Mira said at one point, "I've never seen him smile so much." she smirked at the blonde.

"O-Oh, really?" she asked, seeing where she was going with this conversation.

"Yes. In fact, I think it's because of you."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?"

"He liiiikes you~" purred a familiar voice.

"Cana!" cried the blonde. After they calmed down, the brunette explained that she like hearing him sing when she drang here, otherwise it would be a dull night.

"And just how do you drink alcohol here? They can sell it to minors!?" Lucy whispered. Cana showed her a fake ID, but in all honesty, It would pass as a real one.

"Wow, that's pretty good!" she said as she stared at the card.

"Yup! My finest life's work!" Cana said proudly, earning a sigh from the other two.

* * *

Eventually when 7:00 pm came, Natsu got his pay that added up to about $360 dollars. The blonde stared at him as he put it in his case, locking it in with his guitar.

"I still can't believe they give you that much!" she exclaimed.

"I know, right?" he said. "They insisted on paying me that much to help me out."

"Wow."

They walked to the bus stop and stood there waiting for the bus. When it came, they climbed on, and their eyes widened to see familiar faces. Gajeel, Laxus, Erza, Jellal, and Gray were all on board. They joined their friends, minus Gray who narrowed his eyes at Natsu and turned to face the window.

"What are you all doing here?" asked Lucy, curiously.

"We just saw a movie." explained the redhead, smiling. "I assume you went with Natsu to watch him perform?" The blonde nodded. Gajeel just chuckled while Jellal and Laxus just smirked silently. The bus drove off as they began discussing their nights events. Suddenly, Jellal spoke up.

"Hey, this place doesn't look familiar." he said, pointing outside. Lucy hadn't been throughout the entire city or rode this bus before, so she didn't know.

"Speaking of which-" started Gajeel, but he was cut off when a gas started filling up the bus. They all coughed as they slowly fainted.

* * *

When she woke up, she was in a small, grey room, with nothing but a window and metal door. She ran and pounded on it. She prayed in her mind that she was hallucinating or dreaming, but felt a sharp pain when she pinched herself. She gaze through the window and saw a familiar face with pink hair.

"Natsu!" she cried, pounding on the glass.

He was held down by restraints onto a table, and he seemed to be struggling. He also didn't seem to hear her, meaning that the glass was soundproof. But that couldn't be true because she could hear him. He was hurling insults and curses at who were apparently their kidnappers. Suddenly, the door opened and all the white cloaked men in the room, turned to the person coming through. The man had short black hair, and black eyes. He held a small smile on his face, and he knee-length black coat over a black shirt and matching pants. His shoes were also black, making his favorite color obvious. He walked over to a table that had tools on it.

"Sir, what are you doing her?" asked one of the men. She couldn't see their faces, due to them having masks over them.

"This one," he said, "I wish to do myself." His smile never leaving his face as he picked up a syringe that seemed to have an orange liquid in it.

"Get the fuck away from me!" screamed Natsu, glaring at the black haired man.

"Oh dear brother," he said, but Natsu cut him off.

"I don't have a brother! And I don't know of any brother of anyone who'd do this shit to people!"

The black haired man smiled, grabbing Natsu's arm and steadied the syringe's needle to it. Lucy kept pounding on the glass, crying for the man to stop.

"Now, now. Don't say such rude words in front of your lady-friend." he said, causing Natsu's eyes to widen.

"What the hell have you done to Lucy!? Where is she!? Where are my friends!?"

The man just pushed the syringe into Natsu's arm, causing him to flinch. After the liquid went into his bloodstream. Natsu suddenly started thrashing around, screaming like he was in pain. This alarmed the black haired man. "Evacuate the building!" he said. Leave the ki-" He never got to finish his sentence before Natsu caught on fire.

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTE!: some topics in this story from here on out are NOT to joke about. I will only be using them in this story to develop the plot.**

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- One Man Band by Old Dominion

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- None this chapter! :P

Holy cow! A lot went down here. We got another view of Natsu's and Gray's hatred for each other, as well as Lucy's growing attraction to the boy(you're welcome fellow NaLu fans ;3 ) As for the singing part, it's revealed that Natsu like country music, which will be introduced more. I plan only including parts of the songs, so that I can keep this story focused on the plot. Also, it seems that Natsu, Lucy, and the others are in trouble!

What was that liquid in the syringe? Who is this man? Why is he doing this? And Why is Natsu on fire? This and more coming soon!

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	4. Ch4 - Red Scales and Flames

Hey all! I'm back with another chapter! :D

I hope you all enjoyed the story so far. This chapter kinda came out strange to me, but I think it serves it's purpose. Drop a comment on how YOU think it turned out pls! :D

I hope some are catching on to how this story might play out. If not, don't worry, it'll soon become COMPLETELY obvious. Also, for a reference in future chapters, think about superman in the sense. Don't get it either? Soon you will. Hopefully. ANYWAY, the plot regarding the middle section is weird so forgive me, but go with it. Things happen all the time, and any situation can occur. Natsu just happens to be lucky, and just happens to accept something because, why not? Any questions? Leave 'em in a pm or review like the info at the end of my chapters say.

With that out of the way, lets get a move on, shall we? :D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

Lucy stared in horror as her friend burst into flames on the table he was strapped too, screaming in pain. She could no longer see his figure, as tears poured from her eyes like waterfalls.

"Natsu!" she cried, helpless to save him.

"No. NO. **NO**!" yelled the black haired man. "He can't die!"

"Zeref, sir!" cried one of the workers, who was examining a computer monitor. "H-He isn't dying! The subject is stabilizing!"

"Then explain why he's on fire, and screaming in pain!" Zeref growled.

Lucy too was wondering how her friend could be alive still. Until, the flames went out. At first, it seemed like he was a partially charred corpse, and she didn't have time to register what actually lay before her, until a wave a heat blasted around the men in the room, knocking them down. He sat up, silently, breaking the restraints like they were nothing. He got off the table, grabbing the man named Zeref by the collar. He lifted him up, and from what Lucy could see from the now charred window, was him throw the man across the room.

"Back away if you can hear me." his voice said. She complied without hesitation, as something busted through the window. She shielded herself from the glass, turning away for a moment as heat filled the room. She slowly turned to Natsu, her eyes widening to find him different. His faded jade eyes had turned to a more faded ruby red. Along with this, his pupils were slits, like that of a reptile. His skin around his eyes and around his ears, had turned to what she could make out as dark red, reptilian scales, while the rest of his face like the majority of his nose, as well as his whole mouth and jaw area were his normal skin.

Most of his clothes were burned away, leaving him in his boxers thankfully. Eyeing him up. The entirety of his arms, his sides from below his armpits down to his hips, the entire sides of his thighs, the entirety of his calves and feet were covered in the same abs and chest, as well as his back were left uncovered. And his pink hair contrasted slightly with it all. She stared in bewilderment.

"N-Natsu?" she asked, not really sure if it was him or not. Suddenly, he picked her up bridal style surprising her, turned to the door and kicked it down. "W-What are you doing?"

"Were getting the others and getting the hell out of here." he said. His face was contorted to one of anger. She nodded and held onto him as he ran through the halls. She looked at his face once more, noticing his nose twitch. He was smelling something, but what and why? Soon, they found the room where everyone else was held, evident by him once more kicking down the door. Gray was about to say something rude until an utterly confused, shocked, and look of other emotions mixed into one came over his, Gajeel's, Erza's, and the others faces.

"What the fuck!?" they all yelled. Natsu flinched.

"Look, let's discuss my looks later! I have questions too you know!" They all nodded, even Gray, and followed the scaly boy until he set Lucy down, and punched at the wall, making a hole in it. This utterly shocked every one of them as they passed through, being careful of the burnt metal. When they noticed Natsu hadn't come out, they looked at him through the wall.

"Come on, Natsu!" cried Lucy. "We have to get out of here!"

"Not before I destroy this place! Now, all of you, get away from here!" he yelled.

"Wait! Won't you die!?"

He looked at her and gave a small smile. "I don't know exactly what they did to me, or why I look like this. But I have a feeling I'll be fine. Now go!" he said as he rushed back the way he came. Erza, with the help of the others dragged Lucy, who kept calling for him to come back, farther and farther away from the building. When they got a good ways away, the building suddenly exploded. A cloud of flames and smoke rose in a mushroom cloud fashion.

"Natsu!" cried Lucy, tears streaking her face. Erza hugged the blonde, some coming over hers as well. Even Gray, looked astonished at the boys sacrifice. That was until he came running toward them, quite quickly too.

"You idiot! What were you thinking!?" cried Lucy as she hugged him. He was surprised, but smiled and hugged her back.

"I told you I had a feeling that I'd be fine." he said, looking at her in the eyes, with his now ruby, reptilian ones. Suddenly, he felt something happening to him. The others noticed as he looked at himself, still in his boxers, turning back into his normal self.

"Oh shit!" he said, covering himself. Erza and Lucy looked away while Laxus and Gajeel burst out laughing. Gray smirked while Jellal took off his coat to give to Natsu.

"It's not funny!" exclaimed Natsu, flushed in the face.

"Whatever you idiot." commented Gray at the boys misfortune. In the distance, they heard ambulance, police, and fire truck sirens. They suddenly had a problem on their hands. Did they go to the police and tell them what happened or not and go home. They realized the time was about 7:45 pm, meaning they had been there for about forty minutes. They decided to go home, but found the bus on their way through the woods. Looking through it, all of their bags were still there. It must have been left to be forgotten. They found their way to the back of their school and crossed the football stadium by climbing the fence. They got to their homes no problems what-so-ever.

After a quick stop by Natsu's shack, which was indeed small, Natsu and Lucy headed to her house. Her parents questioned what took them so long, but surprisingly took the excuse that the bus driver was new, considering Natsu had been in the city longer than they had. They all sat down after Wendy came downstairs with Carla, and they ate. Natsu explained the entirety of his situation when Lucy's father questioned further. But blushed when her mother began talking about them like they were some kind of couple, while Lucy matched the color of his skin and mentally smashed her head through a wall. Meanwhile, Wendy was new to this conversation and seemed to care for Natsu's situation.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Claire, spoke up. "How would you like to live with us, Natsu?"

Everyone at the table practically spit out what they had in their mouths. "Mom?" said both girls simultaneously. Natsu was in shock at the question while Ryan looked at his wife.

"Claire, do you know what you're asking him?" he asked. The brunette stood, practically dragging him with her into a room and shut the door, telling the three they'd be right back. Lucy guessed that Natsu hadn't moved in with anyone because of the rumors about him and how he'd be basically all alone. She wondered what it'd be like to have him around, and before her mind could throw anything her way to make her blush in embarrassment, her parents came out and sat back down. The three kids looked at them, wondering what was going to happen.

"We've agreed." said her mother finally. "If you are willing, we'd be happy to take you in." she smiled.

The three's eyes widened, the girls looked at Natsu, noticing a tear streak down his cheek. He wiped it away, flashing a toothy grin.

"T-Thank you!" he replied.

Lucy smiled. She loved seeing his grin, no matter how much she might deny it. It was too infectious, having them all grinning back. Though, she didn't notice it at first, but his canines seemed longer than before. She shook it off, thinking she didn't focus on them before so they must have been that length. After a couple calls, and explanations, they were given permission to house the pinkette, until everything was finalized. The time estimated to finalize the process was given to be about three months. He was given the room across the hall from Lucy's meaning that they had no guest room, but they figured they'd sort that out eventually. Natsu and her father went into the woods before it go too dark and collected his things in one trip. He didn't seem to have much, but due to her father's comments and what she remembered, he promised to be cleaner and more organized.

_Things are certainly changing._ Lucy thought, as she watched Natsu rubbing Happy on the belly, the blue feline purring quite loudly.

That night as she lay in bed, she kept remembering Natsu bursting into flames, and the change he experienced. She couldn't get it out of her head. She heard a meow as she saw a small blue figure hop on her bed. She smiled and rubbed his head.

"Hey there, Happy." she said. "What are you doing up?" She wondered. The feline meowed once more and pawed her nose lightly, then walked to the edge of her bed, looking back at her. He meowed again. Was something wrong? The sudden image came into her head once more as she quietly got out of bed, and went across the hall following the cat. She walked into the pinkette's room, noticing him sitting at the edge of his bed, his head hanging. She noticed even in the dark, those red scales from earlier that night. The digital clock read 10:34 pm, as she stepped closer to him.

"What's happening to me?" he asked quietly, the worry evident in his voice. She felt terrible. Whatever it was that Zeref and his men did, was truly inhumane. Just how could they do such a thing. She sat down beside him, as he looked at his hands. She realized the nails on his fingers had turned into claws. She put a hand on his thigh, making him look at her, showing the terror in his eyes. She pulled the boy into a hug.

"Don't worry." she said. "We'll figure this out."

As they hugged, she felt the warmth of his skin returning, rather than the chill the scales gave her. When they released each other, they're suspicions were confirmed. He had reverted back to normal. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. Before she left his room, she looked back at him and he at her, knowing they had to tell their friends the next day.

* * *

Watching her leave, he somehow managed to hear her lay down, and frowned at this addition. He felt his ears, which were normal. He could even hear his own heartbeat clearly. He closed his eyes and focused on his senses. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he could control it.

In all honesty, having this ability that he was given, made him feel even more alone than usual. No one else had come out of that facility with a similar condition. At least not that he knew of. Just thinking about Lucy and his new friends being cursed with the same fate made his stomach churn. He didn't want them to experience what he was at this moment.

I have to protect them. He thought. Both my friends, and new family.

Making up his mind, he locked the door to his room and opened the window. He got some dark clothes to wear, said goodnight to the little blue ball of fur on his bed and jumped out of the window. He'd expected his legs to break, but when he landed, he felt completely fine. He looked at his legs to find they were scaly once more. Whatever Zeref had done to him, made him feel different, but in a good way. He hoped no one would recognize him as he dashed off into the night.

He ran as fast as he could, to the remains of the building he had destroyed earlier. He caught onto a scent, seemingly that of the man in question, and he began to follow it,

"You're gonna pay you bastard!" He growled to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zeref was in his office, gazing over the city again. He was smiling, even though the events of the day troubled him. A knock came to his door.

"Come in."

A tall, muscular man came in, along with another man and a woman, both a foot shorter than him.

"Sir, aren't you going to collect the subjects?" said the tall man's deep voice. Zeref waved him off.

"There's no need. They will come to me, in due time."

"What makes you so sure?"

Zeref turned, a smirk on his face. "Igneel raised the boy in my steed." he said. "If I'm right, then the boy will come for me, seeking to protect those he sees as precious. That feeling is amplified by the specific formula given to him."

The man narrowed his eyes at his superior. "And that would be?"

"AX-331-Draco."

The three visitors' eyes widened. "You can't be serious!" gasped the woman. "You gave that boy the… did you do that on purpose?"

"Why would you think that?" asked Zeref, amused.

"The boy's 'Father'," said the shorter man, "Had the first version of it, born already being able to use it

"You're point? The man probably never showed him that power. Igneel never wanted to use his power, except when he wanted to protect those he cared for."

"But the boy. He's not normal, isn't he?"

Zeref froze. "**What did you say?**" his voice carrying malicious intent, and sending them a death glare.

They backed away. "O-One of the scientists you had working on his information found an abnormality within his DNA, so-"

"You tell him if he doesn't want to be **killed**, he'll send me that data right this instant! If I so much as find a copy or hear a single word about it, someone is **surely going to die.**" He growled, smashing his fist on the table. "**Do you understand, Lucas?**"

The tall man nodded, gulping, and the three exited the room, leaving Zeref to himself. He picked up his phone and called another subordinate.

_"What can I do for you tonight, sir?"_ said the voice on the other end.

"I want you to release subject 238-SCD." Zeref responded.

"_I assume you're trying to test out a new toy you lost?"_ chuckled the man.

Zeref smiled. "You could say that." he said. "And I want the public to see him."

_"What do I tell him?"_

"I leave that up to you, Ajeel. You know the general assignment already as I've just said."

_"Perfect."_ laughed the man before hanging up.

Zeref turned back to the window, watching the city from the mountaintop lab, wondering how things would turn out.

"I wonder, little bother," he said, "can you handle the oncoming storm?"

* * *

As he ran through the woods, he felt a strong wind pick up. He stopped as he felt a strange presence. He looked around, now noticing he could see perfectly in the dark.

I hate that I'm starting to like this shit. He thought annoyed. But when he saw an unusually visible gust of air above him, he frowned.

His expression changed when he realized it was coming right for him. He managed to dodge in time, jumping onto a nearby tree, his claws helping him to hold on. A cloud of dust where he once stood cleared to reveal a tall, lean-built and mildly muscular man with silver hair. It which was held pointing upwards in spiky strands on top of his head, but hangs down to the left of his face in a distinctive tuft, partially covering it, and reaching down to his shoulders His upper body was exposed mainly, except for a black scarf around his neck, showing multiple deep blue tattoos.

Around his waist was covered by a dark grey cloth, similar to a large skirt, making Natsu question the man's dressing style. Sure he didn't have the luxury of having the best clothes, but at least he didn't look like this guy, and could sense an evil intent. The man smirked, his dark eyes narrowing at him.

"So you're the one that burnt the lab down, eh?" he smirked.

"So what if I am?" Natsu growled. "Who are you anyway, and what do you want!?"

He chuckled. "My subject number is 238-SCD, but they call me Reaper. As for what I want, well, I just want to thank you." he said. "Because you're giving Zeref so much trouble, he let me out to break you."

The pinkette growled. "I'd love to see you try, but unfortunately for you, that ain't going to happen!" Pushing hard off the tree, he lunged at the man. As soon as he got close, however, he threw his arms up to block and object slamming into him. Thankfully, the scales took the brunt of the attack, but the shock sent through his body sent him flying. Natsu grit his teeth as he flew through the air, looking for a good spot to break his fall. Reaper pursued him, smacking him once more before he could recover, flying into the city.

The pinkette soon found himself embedded in asphalt, with multiple people staring at him. Cars honked, and people snapped pictures, probably to post on social media or something. He even saw some kids from his school, staring directly at him.

Fuck. He thought. So much for staying out of sight.

He got up slowly, and noticed the wisp of white air swirling toward him. He growled, wondering how he could fight with innocents in the way. As Reaper landed in front of him, revealing what appeared to be a rather large scythe. He smiled and twirled it around, causing people to back away from the scene. Natsu growled, ready to defend himself, but the man raise his hand to the side, smirking.

"I see it in your eyes." he remarked as he surrounded som onlookers in a wall of wind. Natsu rushed at them, trying to break through the wind. Reaper just laughed. "You're not going to break through that with such puny strength!"

"Fuck you!" Natsu growled, as he concentrated, allowing flames to consume his fist, then thrusting it at the wind, shattering it completely.

Reaper starred in bewilderment, at the pinkette, as people began running away from their fight. Natsu smirked. "Didn't think I could do it, eh? Well next time try harder!" he yelled jumping toward his opponent.

* * *

In the morning, Lucy woke up, feeling a little drowsy. She quickly got dressed for the day, and headed downstairs to find her family, minus Natsu who was sleeping upstairs, in the living room, staring at the TV. She looked at them confused as Wendy quickly waved her over. WHen she saw what was on the TV, her heart stopped.

"Good morning everyone, I'm Marie Serge with some breaking news." said the lady on the TV. "At about 11:30 pm last night, two human-like beings were seen fighting in the streets. One of them, claimed and eyewitness, could control wind and surrounded some random people with it, intending to do harm to them, while the other, welding flames and covered in dark red scales, broke the barrier, allowing them to escape unharmed."

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Suddenly, Natsu came up from behind, dressed for school. She seemed to be the only one who noticed the slightly guilty face he had on. A picture appeared on the screen that someone had taken. Lucy recalled how the boy next to her looked, and matched the picture to it. The same scales, red eyes, and of course, pink hair. It was Natsu.

"This photo is of the so-called fire wielder, who saved the hostages." she continued. "Authorities say they are handling the situation, but some sceptics say that there might be more wishing to do harm to countless innocents. Whatever these creatures are, what can we expect. Authorities-" she continued but her father muted the TV. He looked at the two standing.

"Can you believe this crap?" he said. "Human like creatures that control wind and fire!? Sounds like a prank to me!"

"I agree dear, but sometimes things happen."

"Don't tell me you believe it?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"I never said that. I only said that sometimes things happen." she said.

While her parents continued to discuss it, Lucy pulled Natsu upstairs, causing her sister to wonder what was going on.

"Natsu! What the hell were you doing!?" she whisper yelled.

He scratched his head. "I didn't mean for that to happen! I was just trying to find Zeref and-"

"You idiot! You almost got yourself killed!"

He was surprised. She seemed angry, but she also had traces of worry in her voice. "Promise me you won't do that again!" she said.

"Luce-"

"Promise!" she said, pouting.

He sighed, deciding he would lose anyway if he tried to argue his side. "Fine." he said. "But if they come after you or the others, I'm not hesitating to kick their ass." he said.

"Fine." she said. "Now, let's get going, we're going to be late."

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTE!: some topics in this story from here on out are NOT to joke about. I will only be using them in this story to develop the plot.**

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter! :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Lucas: 54

\- Reaper - 34

\- Zeref: 25

\- Ajeel: 24

As I said up top, this chapter was kind of weird for me. Sorry about that. I think all us FT fans know who Reaper is. If not, you'll see later on lol. But wow, Natsu unlocked the power within him, at least for a while it seems. I wonder how their other friends will react when they turn on the TV. And why exactly is Zeref acting strange in regards to Natsu's DNA? Is he hiding something, or is it not what it seems? We'll see next time.

Sorry if it seemed like a while(2 days -_- ) to upload this. I kept thinking about the plot and where I wanted it to go, but things kept changing. Please tell me how I did ;-;

Well, that's all until next time! Byeeee! :3

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	5. Ch5 - Change

Hey all! It's time fore another chapter! :D

I had a couple scenarios playing in my head, and had a hard time deciding which to use, so sorry for this 'late' update. In the last chapter, we saw a little glimpse of Zeref getting uncomfortable at some interesting info on Natsu, as well as our favorite pink headed boy using his newfound power to take down another. The middle section of this chapter was kind of weird for me, as to how it goes down and how some characters act.

Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far, and PLEASE! PLEASE let me know how I did this time! If you have any questions on the plot or something that doesn't sit right with you, let me know!

Also, thank you, kashimoto7, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story as it progresses ^-^

NOW, on to the story! :D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

By the time they got to the roof for lunch, everyone else was waiting for them. Multiple expressions were shared within the group, starting with Erza walking up to the pinkette and shaking him angrily.

"What the hell were you thinking, Natsu!?" she yelled. The blonde shuddered at her viciousness. "Erza, I already chewed him out."

This caused the redhead to stop, noticing Natsu looked rather dizzy. When he finally regained his balance before stumbling over his own feet, they all sat down. Erza explained they had already told the others about what happened last night, getting their word not to say anything. Natsu added in why he was caught on camera last night.

"Considering how you haven't been called out, it seems we're in the clear for now." said Jellal, "But I want to address another issue other than what happened to Natsu." He added, causing them all to look at him confused.

"Surly, you've sensed it, but he's not the only one with these… powers."

"What do you mean?" asked Mira.

Erza, Laxus, and Gajeel met his eyes, frowning. "So, it isn't just me." said Jellal, worry spreading over his face.

"I thought I sensed something different about you guys." added the pinkette.

"Would someone please explain!?" cried Lucy. "I'm not following. Are you talking about that guy Natsu fought last night?"

The bluenette shook his head. "When we were in that lab, Natsu wasn't the only one out of us given these powers." he said. "He was the only one to be awake when he was given his, as well as the first to awaken them."

"But something strikes me as strange." Erza questioned, gaining the group's attention. "I only sense the presence in all of us except Lucy."

"Really?" the blonde said. All the other heads nodded. The blonde sighed, relieved that no one messed with her DNA or whatever. Though it did come off as strange.

"There have been multiple missing persons reports lately." Levy chimed in. "I bet that Zeref is the one responsible."

Erza nodded. "It would make sense. But why?"

Natsu frowned. "I don't know, but there was something odd about that guy. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Other than the fact he kidnaps people to use as his guinea pigs? Oh my, you're so smart!" snickered Gajeel, earning a growl from the pinkette.

"Oi! Shut it!"

"Gihihi!" chucked Gajeel, earning a punch from Levy. "Knock it off you two!"

"Indeed, this is not a situation you should take lightly," said an elderly voice, causing all of them to shudder. As they turned, they saw a short, elderly man with a bushy white mustache, and matching hair around his head, standing on top of the doorway. He hopped down and walked towards them slowly, with a serious look on his face.

"P-Principal Dreyer!" squeaked Juvia. That name seemed familiar to her. Suddenly, her brain began to catch up, recalling her friends introductions. Her head shot to Laxus, remembering he had the same last name.

"Wait, you're related to the principal!?" she gasped.

The blond nodded at her. "Yeah, he's my grandfather." Lucy looked back at the old man.

"Oi, Gramps! How long have you been standing there?" growled Natsu.

"Since I heard about you all coming up here this morning, from Gray." he replied. "Though I am quite angry with you all for hiding this from me, it is understandable."

That last sentence threw them for a loop. Even Laxus looked confused. "What do you mean, old man?" he asked, stepping forward.

"What I mean is I understand why you'd hide you 'powers' from others, since I am in the same boat." he said, shocking them all.

"Let me explain. About ten years ago, the man named Zeref, approached me as a teenager here with research that blew my mind. It had drawn attention from multiple universities and corporations, but the risks that it involved were drastic. He claimed on being able to make a serum that could alter the DNA of a subject to give them power beyond what we could ever hope to achieve." he explained. "I, being the fool I was, agreed to let myself be one of his subjects. Little did I know he'd already had plenty. When I saw what he was doing, I threatened to shut him down, but he was one step ahead of me. He knocked me out, injected me with a serum, and disappeared. I haven;t heard a word about him in all this time until now." he frowned.

All of them were shocked. This man was kidnapping people, just for the sake of his research. This was inhumane and against the law, so how was he funding it?

"I want to help you kids." he said. "I will do so on one condition, that you will use these powers responsibly. Understood?"

They all nodded. "With that settled, I want you all to stay after school, so we may discuss this topic more." he said looking at his watch. "Run along to class now, don't want to be late, do you?"

With that, they all dashed down the stairs to their classes, hearing the end of lunch bell ring. Principal Dreyer stood alone until a boy appeared from behind the stairwell.

"Well Gramps, what did you want me to see in all that?" he grumbled.

"I wanted you to see the fact that they are all willing to help each other, like you should be willing to help them." he replied. "I'm sure they'd do the same for you."

Gray smirked. "What makes you say that?"

The elder man sighed. "I've watched you grow into the young man you are today, as well as the others, and I still don't understand why you turned your back on them. Especially Natsu."

"I didn't turn my back on him!" growled the noirette. "You know what he did!"

"I know nothing of the sort!" yelled the older man, tired of the bickering. Gray just huffed. "Gray, you know she decide to get on that bus, and that crash had nothing to do with him! And besides, do you really think he didn't suffer as well?"

Gray kept silent.

When he finally spoke, it was short and curt. "I don't care. I'm done here." he said, heading down the stairs.

The old man sighed. "You really are a stubborn one, especially when you're wrong. Don't you agree, Igneel?" he said.

A red haired man popped out from the tree. His black, leather jacket shining in the sun. "Just like his father was." he sighed. "Even when he's wrong, he's gotta be right."

"So then why don't you reveal yourself to Natsu?"

"You know why Makarov." he said, narrowing his eyes. "I can't show back up just yet. I know he waits for me every day, and it's painful to know, let alone watch." he grimaced.

"I just hope you succeed, before they get too involved."

"I think it'll build character!"

"You're an idiot, you know that?" sighed Makarov, causing the redhead to laugh.

"And you still worry too much! I'll get my job done, and soon everything will be as it should." His smile faded into a scowl. "But if that bastard, Zeref, harms him, he's going to die." growled the man as dark red scales grew on his arm.

"Do you think what happened to you will happen to him?" asked Makarov.

"Not if I can help it." replied Igneel. "I already made the antibody serum. An old friend of yours helped out." he said.

"Just don't let him see you."

"You just contradicted yourself, you know?" smirked the redhead.

"Shut up."

* * *

Sure enough, after school, the group of friends stayed behind like Principal Dreyar had asked. Lucy's father was concerned at first to hear this news, but Lucy assured him that nothing was wrong, which he was relieved to hear. She didn't like lying to her parents about this, but she couldn't just tell them that she and some of her friends were kidnapped by a man to use as laboratory experiments, giving them powers.

They found Principal Dreyar waiting for them in the cafeteria.

"So, what are we doing here exactly?" asked Natsu, curious to what the man wanted.

"So you can all show me your abilities."

"I hate to break it to you, but not all of 'us' are here." Natsu huffed. Lucy figured he meant Gray. Honestly, she hated seeing the two go at it, especially since they had been good friends before.

"Actually, that's where you're wrong, flame brain." came a voice from the hallway. They all turned around to see Gray, who was walking in with Loke.

"Oh great." muttered Natsu.

"You are all going to cooperate, whether you like it or not." growled Makarov. The two boys just glared at each other until Erza stepped between them, giving them both her own glare.

"Now, why don't we start with you, Natsu."

"Huh, why me?" he asked confused.

"Just step forward."

Doing as he was told, he stood before the short man, not sure of what to do. To their surprise, Makarov threw a punch at him. It wasn't just the action that shocked them though, it was the size. Makarov's fist had grown to the size of a small car, which Natsu narrowly managed to dodge.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, as his scales appeared. His now red eyes narrowed at the older man as he withdrew his hand and it shrunk to it's proper size. Makarov gaze over Natsu's form, nodding and humming in agreement with something. "I see." he said.

"And I don't fucking see! What the hell was that!?"

"That, Natsu, is my ability. It has been appropriately named: Giant." he said. "The one you possess, is actually similar to someone you know."

Natsu's, as well as the others' eyes widened. "Who?" he asked, curious.

"Beat me and show me your power. Then I might tell you." smirked the older man. Natsu cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Ha! Be ready to squawk-" It only took a second before another large punch was thrown his way, sending him flying into Laxus and Gajeel. The three toppled to the floor, with the projectile of them, groaning in pain.

"With that done, you're up next, Gajeel." Makarov announced, causing said person to gulp. "Fine." he grumbled as he got the pinkette off him, and walked toward the principal.

"Just relax and concentrate." said the man, throwing another one of his giant fists at the noirette. In a flash, the fist came into contact with the boy, yet he didn't move. Gajeel was now covered seemingly head to toe, in steel-like scales, unlike Natsu who had skin showing. His eyes were now an emerald green, instead of red. Like Natsu, if they hadn't seen him transform, they;d never have guessed it was him.

"Gihi!" chuckled the boy as Makarov nodded, impressed. "I came prepared for that." he said, lifting his feet, revealing spikes that allowed him to stay put.

"Very good, Gajeel. I see you also possess an ability similar to Natsu."

Laxus went up next, displaying a similar ability. His grey eyes turning yellow, and yellow scales appearing along his body, similar to Natsu, rather than his whole body like Gajeel. He was also able to manipulate electricity. Like Gajeel, he'd planned his strategy based on what he'd seen, but he disappeared in a flash, appearing behind his grandfather.

"I see you've had practice as well, Laxus." smiled Makarov. The blond only nodded, turning his skin back to normal and joining the others. Erza stepped up, staring the principal dead in the eyes.

"As menacing as ever, I see."

"Shall we?" said the redhead, as she got into a stance, as if she had a sword sheathed on her hip. As soon as Makarov nodded, Erza spoke. "**Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!**" Her body was engulfed in light, until it died down revealing plated armor covering her chest, with a large metal flower over it. She was wearing a large billowing skirt that had metal plating in the upper area. Her stomach and neck were uncovered, and she had large metal wings that appear to be made of individual blades, as well as a wing-like headpiece. Her chocolate brown eyes had also changed to a golden color. In essence, she seemed like a warrior-like angel.

Makarov looked impressed with her ability, but nonetheless took that moment to launch his attack, this time sending both fists. Two swords appeared in her hands, which she crossed in front of her, effectively blocking his attack. When the man pulled his arms back, her armor began to glow and she returned to normal. She walked over to the group patting Jellal on the shoulder, who had been staring at her in awe.

"You're up." she said with a smile, snapping him out of his daze.

"R-Right." he said, stepping up. The others could tell he was nervous.

"Well? You gonna just stand there?" grumbled Gray. Natsu would have pounced on him if not for Laxus, Gajeel, and Elfman holding him back.

"Natsu, relax." said Jellal, looking at his friend. Natsu grunted, but backed off causing Gray to smirk.

"Gray." Makarov warned, before turning back to the bluenette in front of them. He knelt to the ground, confusing the elder man until a strange design appeared on the floor. It seemed to be a complexly designed circle. His eyes had completely changed to be entirely glowing yellow. A red tattoo-ish mark started to form down from the right side of his forehead, over his eye and midway to his cheek.

His words were spoken softly as a breeze swept through. "**Meteor**."

A bright aura surrounded him as he began to hover, then proceed to bolt around the room. Their principal watched his movements, then thrust his arm out, causing the bluenette to smash right into it, ending the amazing display. By the time he hit the floor, he'd turned back to normal, except for his now green face.

"Urgh…" was all that came out of his mouth before Gray burst out laughing. The others, except Loke, glared at him as he began walking up to Principal Dreyar. "It's been fun watching all of your attempts to control what that scientist gave you, but I think it's about time I end this little get-together." He strode towards the now annoyed Makarov, who prepared to attack, when the air temperature suddenly dropped. Lucy could see her breath immediately, as well as the others.

_Is this Gray's doing?_ She wondered.

"I've done my homework on my powers already, giving me an advantage." he said, shedding his shirt, causing some to question what he was doing. His hair, previously tamed, seemed stick up giving it a much wilder look, except for two short strands that hung over the right side of his face. On his right arm forearm, black markings appeared, that slowly began to expand and cover it completely, seeping up his whole arm and beginning to cover his right side of his body. Some of this marking even seeped up his neck, creating a scar-like appearance over his right eye. His previously bluish-grey eyes were now glowing an icy blue. A strange feeling came over the others as he stepped closer to their principal as he attacked the boy.

The noirette smirked. Raising his blackened hand, he spoke. "**Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Fist!**" he growled as a purplish ice formed around his forearm into a gauntlet. His fist met Makarov's, stopping it in its tracks. But a couple seconds began to form around the the principles fist, causing him to pull away and shrink his hand. He shook it as Gray returned to normal. All the others were in shock, considering none over them had really done any damage to the older man, except for Gray. The subject of their shock began to put his shirt back on, and walked out of the cafeteria with Loke. Not before saying one final insult.

"With that, don't come back asking me to join some little club or whatever. I could care less."

Before Natsu had the chance to go after him, Makarov grunted. He seemed concerned, but dismissed it. "Now that I have an idea on what you **six** can do," he grumbled, "I think it's time to call it a night. Go home and rest up."

* * *

The rest of that week, they stayed after school, which caused Lucy's father to be a little worried about the reason why. She assured him she wasn't in trouble, telling him that she and her friends were just spending time together, thinking of coming up with a club. With Natsu to back her up, he relaxed, though Wendy seemed to be a little worried no matter what she said. Gray and Loke never showed up, but that was to be expected. She wondered why Gray felt the need to blame Natsu for Lisanna's death, though she remembered Natsu saying he liked the girl, meaning part of it was jealousy.

Time flew by, and soon enough, it was the day before Halloween. It seemed that she and her friends had gotten much closer, almost like a family away from home. But something in Gray also changed. Although he still seemed hostile towards Natsu, he began interacting with the other members of their group, especially her. She didn't understand why, but he actually seemed to be acting like himself. She could tell he wasn't faking it, by the expressions he held. It was kind of nice to see him like that, though as soon as she mentioned anything even remotely related to Natsu, he'd seem to get antsy and annoyed, though he tried to hide it.

He wasn't the only one though. The pinkette she lived with, seemed to be more cheerful when around his friends. He'd originally been happy to have them, but hadn't completely let them into his life, despite sharing their days together and basically spilling all his troubles to them when he'd initially told Lucy. The teachers were even surprised. She was glad to see him like this. The only thing that didn't change was when Gray was around. His face would instantly go from a joyful to one of annoyance. Why couldn't they just try to get along? Something that caught her eye about his behavior in regards to the noirette, was when Gray was around her. He seemed displeased, even downright angry. When she'd turn his way fully, he just acted like there was nothing wrong, but she knew otherwise.

The Thursday on which Halloween began, Lucy, Natsu, and her family were decorating the house. Wendy was upset considering she couldn't go trick-or-treating with the older kids, because their little group decided to go to a haunted maze. The blonde was skeptical at first, considering she didn't handle scares too well, but Natsu finally convinced her to join them. Her mother offered to drive them there and pick them up. After their little group field trip to the maze, they planned on all coming over to her house to hang out for the rest of the evening.

When Claire dropped them off, they saw their group of friends waiting for them. She swore that Laxus and Mira were standing quite close, as well as Erza and Jellal. Levy seemed to be arguing with Gajeel, who was laughing at her temper. Juvia, out of all of them, seemed slightly depressed. Lucy felt bad, since she knew the bluenette wanted Gray to be there. When a black Ford Mustang pulled into the parking lot, she was confused, but her jaw dropped when she saw who got out of the driver's side.

_If you speak of the devil, he shall appear._ She thought, sweat dropping.

Gray walked out, locking the vehicle, and strode over to them, wearing a black leather jacket, with a dark pair of blue jeans. He waved at them with a neutral face, in which she waved back, not knowing how to respond. Natsu's head whipped around when Juvia shouted his name, welcoming him.

"What are you doing here?"asked the pinkette, slightly hostile.

"What else would I be doing here, Natsu?" he said, causing everyone to gasp.

Natsu, being the most surprised, looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Did yo-"

"Just take it or leave it." sighed the noirette, heading over to Lucy. She was surprised at his choice of words. Normally, he'd always call the pinkette some nickname that was meant to start a fight, never really calling him by his first name. When said boy recovered from his shock, he joined them, but hesitated to accept the boy's greeting. When they went to pay, they were told to pair off, so they drew straws.

The pairs were as follows:

Mira and Erza.

Jellal and Gajeel.

Levy and Laxus.

Juvia and Lucy.

Elfman and Cana.

And finally, Gray and Natsu. On that note, they decided to redraw, considering the unhappy faces the boys shared. In the end, Lucy was paired up with the noirette. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing Natsu was even more unhappy with the decision, causing him to wonder why. His new partner was Levy, who in honesty was a much better partner for him than Gray, so why was he upset. She was worried, but dismissed it when they entered. For now, she'd have to try and stay composed when walking through the maze on this night.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about tonight?_ She wondered as she and the noirette entered.

* * *

That's a wrap! I really hope you enjoyed and sorry if it came out weird!

Again, I was having a hard time on how this part of the story will play out, but I decided to give it a little time skip at the end. :3

Now what's up with the change in attitude from Natsu and Gray? What's this bad feeling Lucy has about this night? Halloween is quite the holiday in which anything could happen! Also, for those who can see shipping teasers here, I kind of hate myself for it. HOWEVER! This will relate to the plot. The next chapter will continue right where we left off, so stay tuned to find out what happens! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter! :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Makarov: 81

\- Igneel: 58

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	6. Ch6 - Love and Sorrow

Hey all! It's time for chapter 6!

It took a little while to sort out a few things in regards to the plot. Thank you all for you're continued interest in reading this story, I truly appreciate it! :D With the whole gang out for Halloween on this dark night, something is bound to go down. We've got more developing between our characters, and some possible ships in play. I wonder what's going to happen?

CrazyZaika: Regarding to Natsu's feelings about the pairs and to you're guess, they WILL be explained in this chapter!:D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

From the moment Natsu saw that Lucy and Gray were a pair, he felt extremely agitated. Inf act, any time the two were around each other he fell like ripping Gray's throat out. Why was he feeling this way? He didn't quite understand these feelings himself, but he did know he had grown rather fond of the blonde. He and Levy were the first to enter the maze out of the groups, and he could tell she was worried.

"What's wrong, Levy?" he asked, trying to ease his mind.

"Well, I can tell you're not happy."

He was surprised. "W-What do you mean?"

"You're not happy Lucy partnered up with Gray." The pinkette felt his cheeks heat up, and turned away, hearing a giggle from the bluenette. "So I'm right?"

"So what?" he mumbled.

The girl sighed. "You don't get what I'm saying, do you?" When he stayed silent, she began laughing.

"What's so funny!?" he growled as the bluenette shook her head.

"You're in love."

"Huh?"

"I said you're in love, Natsu. Don't you know what that is?"

He nodded, a blush on his face. If he was honest with himself, this was the first time he'd felt this way around someone. Not only because he'd shut others out, but because he never new truly what love was. He hadn't really felt any love, other than the love from Igneel when he took Natsu in, and the kindness from Lisanna when they were kids. He'd only been told more recently what it meant to love another person, when Lucy went on about how Mira and Laxus seemed to love each other in her eyes. He'd asked her exactly what it meant to be a couple and to love someone, and found himself questioning his feelings about her afterwards.

"So, what do I do?"

"Well," she said, "you could act on your feelings."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same?" he asked.

"You know, I always thought you two would make a nice couple." she remarked. "You both have been close these past two months. I'm sure she feels the same."

The boy looked at her, wondering if it could be true. He'd only known her for a couple months, but they saw each other every day, and did most things together. She was truly a special person in his life, ever since the first day of school, and he felt a longing for her. But the way Levy and Lucy described the love between two people, was it had to be reciprocated. Did she really feel that way about him? Thinking about it made his face heat up. Hearing Levy's giggles, he blushed and attempted to shake himself back to reality.

"Anyway, I saw you bickering with Metal Head earlier, you two seem close." he said, throwing her for a loop.

"W-What are you talking about? Gajeel and I? Close?" she stuttered, her face pink. He smirked.

"I thought so." he chuckled, causing Levy to punch him. Suddenly, a man in a hockey mask with a chainsaw popped out of the corn stalks. Levy practically jumped out of her skin while Natsu raised an eyebrow.

The pinkette just waved. "Yo."

The man in the mask shrugged and walked back into the corn, leaving the scared bluenette and indifferent Natsu behind. Natsu looked up into the night sky, seeing next to no stars. Dark clouds had rolled in, making him worry as they continued through the maze.

* * *

As Lucy and Gray walked through the maze, she couldn't help but notice him acting strange. He seemed quieter than normal, and every once in a while, he'd be looking at her from the corner of his eye. She didn't know exactly what to make of it. They walked in awkward silence for a while until she decided to end it.

"So…" she said, not knowing where to start.

"How's things going with Flame Brain?" he asked, surprising her. She didn't detect any hostility in his voice, only uneasiness.

"Well, he's as energetic as ever, but he's been acting different lately." she admitted. "The other day, we were talking about Mira and Laxus, considering how they'd make a good couple."

"Huh." he said. "I can actually see them together."

She giggled in agreement. "Yeah. Then, I had to explain to him what love was." He looked at her, a guilty look on his face. "What's wrong, Gray?"

The noirette sighed, a saddened look came over his face. "You remember when we had that fight, over Natsu's living conditions?" When she nodded, he continued. "I do regret taking that far, and to be honest, he and I had a slight similarity when we were young. Neither of us knew our real parents." he said.

"O-Oh, I'm sor-"

"Don't. It's ok." he continued, sighing. "I never seemed to attract anyone in the sense of adopting me, being cold and slightly destructive. That was until a woman named Ur came. She saw past my shell and took me in, making it feel like home. For a couple years I lived with her and my foster brother, another kid she'd taken in, in peace. That was when I met Natsu at school. He was living on his own in the streets, but the principal let him attend the school anyway. He was as he was when you first met him, but a little less distant. He allowed people like the Strauss siblings and me into his life, but not letting us know exactly what was going on. After all, we were only ten." he chuckled.

She was about to comment, but he cut her off. "I'm sure you've heard how he hung out with Lisanna a lot and how I had a crush on her, and how when she died, I blamed him. I always knew he wasn't to blame, I just…" he winced, "I wanted to blame something, or someone, and since she spent the most time with her, I guess I chose to blame him. As we grew apart, I started feeling remorse seeing him like that, but I couldn't seem to forgive him."

As she listened, her heart broke for him. His life had been as tough as Natsu's. "And just like he lost Igneel, I lost her. She lost a short fight to cancer the same year as Lisanna's death. I didn't even get to say goodbye." A lone tear strayed down his face. "I called him out for that too. I took out all of my sadness and anger on him, unjustly, without thinking of what he was feeling."

She looked at the sadness written over his face, feeling terrible. She'd yelled at him, not even knowing his story. She felt like such a hypocrite. Lucy felt tears coming to her eyes as she embraced him, surprising the noirette.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, embracing him tightly. She felt him slowly wrap his arms around her, pulling her close. They stayed there like that for a little while.

"Lucy?"

She looked up at him as she pulled away a little bit.

"I… I have something to tell you." he said holding her shoulders. "You've changed our lives greatly, and I thank you for that. Somehow, I'm going to make it up to Natsu, I want to be friends with him again." he said, which she smiled at. "But that's not all."

"Huh?"

"Lucy, I feel much different than I did before. The time I've spent with you has changed my life." he said, her eyes widening at what was coming next.

"I… I love you."

* * *

As Natsu and Levy walked further into the maze, he kept getting a bad feeling. He'd felt different ever since the injection Zeref gave him, sensing his friends power and having his senses boosted. Eventually, they reached the end, the jump scares hardly being scary, at least to him. They were apparently the second to last out, meeting most of the other groups. Looking among them as they discussed their adventure through the maze. They waited for a while for Lucy and Gray to come out, until Natsu began walking back towards the maze.

"Natsu, where are you going?" asked the bluenette he'd been paired with.

"Their taking forever." he said before disappearing into the corn stalks. He pushed through the thick corn, searching for their scent. The field they were in was quite large, but he felt he could narrow it down. When he finally picked up on Lucy's scent, he pushed forward as fast as he could.

It took him a couple minutes, but he started to hear their voices, though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. As he got closer, he began to hear their conversation.

"And just like he lost Igneel, I lost her. She lost a short fight to cancer…"

When he heard that, he felt confusion rush through him, wondering who he lost. Then he remembered the woman, Ur, who'd taken Gray in. He recalled the noirette talking about her like she was his savior in a way. But then, his stomach churned when he could finally see them. They were extremely close, obviously she had been comforting him. He knew that much from the last sentence he'd really focused on hearing, yet he still wanted to punch the guy.

"Lucy, I feel much different than I did before. The time I've spent with you has changed my life."

Hearing that caused his eyes to widen, as his pace slowed down and he was almost through to them. His heart started aching, badly.

"I… I love you."

When those words left Gray's mouth, Natsu couldn't believe it. Gray had feelings for the same person as he did? He refused to accept it, though he had just heard it from the boys mouth.

He watched the blondes eyes widen.

"W-What? H-How can you love me?" she asked, flustered and confused. The noirette grabbed her hands as looked her dead in the eyes.

"It's true." he said. "You made me realize that I'm not a good person, and that I was treating Natsu wrongly. The kindness you show towards others in need, it caught me. Lucy, I truly mean it."And with that, the noirette leaned his head down, his face to Lucy's.

He kissed her.

He took a step back, feeling something on his cheek. He felt it run down into his mouth, tasting the saltiness of the tear. He found himself turn around, not wanting to hear anything else. He began to run, farther and farther away, not wanting to lose to his emotions. As he did, the tears kept coming.

Why is this happening? He wondered. Why am I crying so much, and why does my heart hurt?

He ran and didn't stop, eventually making his way back out of the maze. He slowed down, until he was stopped by a large hand.

"Hey Natsu, whats up?" asked the worried voice of Laxus. The pinkette just held his head low, unable to stop the tears from flowing. Levy, noticing the tears, left Gajeel to check on him.

"Natsu! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked the bluenette. "Where are Gray an-" she stopped when she saw him tense up. He shoved Laxus' hand off his shoulder, leaving the blond confused.

"**Ask Gray.**" Natsu said, his voice shaky as he walked off. Before he did, Levy swore she saw his jade eyes flash red. She reached out to him as he left, until Gajeel stopped her, shaking his head silently.

"Give him some time." he sighed. "He's not in his right mind."

Levy was hesitant, but she nodded, watching her friend walked off. Suddenly, it occurred to her what she and Natsu had discussed earlier that night.

_Oh no. _

* * *

When the two came out of the maze, Lucy and Gray had maintained an awkward silence between them, as well as the blush on their face. She noticed the strange looks on their friends faces, and realized that Natsu was missing. Levy ran to the blonde, and pulled her away from the rest of the group.

"Lucy! Where have you and Gray been!?" she asked frantically, confusing the blonde.

"W-What do you mean, Lev?" she asked. "We were in the maze."

"Doing what? Tell me Lu, what did you two do?"

"Levy, what's going on!? I don't know what's gotten into you, but…" she paused, realizing she had almost lied to the bluenette. Levy was her best female friend, and they made a pact to not keep secrets from each other, no matter what.

The blonde sighed. "Fine, but please don't make a big deal out of it." She told her friend what happened, about her and Grays conversation, as well as their kiss, and didn't understand why the bluenettes face twisted into one of horror.

"Levy, what's wrong?"

"Oh Natsu.." murmured the bluenette under her breath. The blonde grabbed her friend by the shoulders.

"What's going on, Levy?"

"When Natsu and I were walking, I noticed something was off, so I asked him what it was about."

"And?" asked the blonde, worried.

"He loves you, Lucy." The blonde froze. Before she could speak, the bluenette cut her off. "We were all wondering where you were," the bluenette said, "so Natsu went into the maze to find you too and…"

Lucy didn't need any more to understand what she was saying. Natsu saw their kiss. The boy who she'd helped with his healing, she'd unknowingly and inadvertently hurt him. She felt her body shaking. She looked around frantically.

"Levy, where is he?"

"He stormed off."

With that, the blonde bolted away from her friends, causing even more confusion.

* * *

"Natsu!"

She called out his name, running through the dark woods without a light other than the full moon that night. Over and over, desperate to find him. She had no idea what Gray had planned to do, and had no intention of hurting the pinkette, but fate truly was cruel to mess with this boy so much. As she walked farther, she began to fear the worst. Thankfully, she saw the boy's hair beside a tree. He was sitting against it, leaning against the trunk, his face resting on his arms.

Her heart ached to see him like this. She took another step towards him.

"Nats-"

"What do you want?" he asked, the sadness in his voice clear, causing her to feel even worse.

"Levy told me what happened, and I… I didn't know he was going to kiss me, Natsu. And I-I didn't know you saw or had feelings for me." she said.

"Why does it hurt so bad?" he said, looking up. The tear stains on his checks, the sorrowful look in his eyes, which were red from crying. She felt tears of her own welling up in her ducts. "Why, Lucy? Why do-"

She hugged him, starting to cry herself. He pulled her closer and began crying again. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, gripping the back of his shirt. They stayed like that for a while until they had both calmed down enough to talk. She looked at his jade eyes, and told him about what happened earlier, after he'd apparently left.

* * *

_She didn't know what to think of it. All she thought of at that moment was how she had got Gray to love her, let alone kiss her. She just did what she thought was right it terms of being a good friend. Her face was bright red, embarrassed beyond belief before he pulled away. Her mind was racing a mile a minute._

_"W-What did you do that for?" she stuttered._

_"I told you I love you, remember?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be natural for me to do that?"_

_"B-But we barely know each other and I-I'm not that popular, and.."_

_The boy just started laughing. "Lucy, I can tell that was unexpected, but I felt I needed to make my feelings for you clear." he said. "I had too, considering how someone else seems to have their eyes on you."_

_"W-What do-"_

_"Don't even ask." he said with a smirk. "I'm not telling."_

_She pouted. "That's mean, Gray." This caused him to laugh again, making her giggle a little. After that, they stood silently for a while. _

_"Gray, I-I'm sorry but I can't return your feelings." she said with a sad look on her face. He sighed. _

_"I actually figured this was going to happen." he said. "But if you're interested, you know who to call." he smirked, causing her to blush. "S-Shut up!" she stuttered. Suddenly, she smirked. _

_"You know, there's someone in our little group who has eyes for you, Gray." she chuckled evilly._

_"Juvia?" he said, nonchalantly._

_"Damn it!" cried the blonde. Causing him to chuckle. "Anyway, let's get back to the others now." he said. Nodding, she smiled as an awkward silence fell over them, and they continued through the maze._

* * *

After telling the pinkette the story, he sighed, seemingly with relief, causing her to blush. He looked up into the dark sky, making her wonder what he was thinking about. Especially when a smile drew over his lips. She found herself staring at them, recalling Gray's slightly cool, and soft lips, making her wonder how Natsu's felt. She felt her body heating up, as her mind wandered, telling her to do something.

"By the way, Luce," said the pinkette, snapping her out of her trance, "What was the reason you turned him down?"

"Why do you want to know?" she smirked, trying to get him flustered. He just looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Cause I love you, duh." he said, getting her flustered instead. "I want to know my chances."

"Well…"

Suddenly, they bother heard a twig snap, causing the Natsu to jump up from his position, a serious look on his face. Lucy slowly got up, as he got in front of her, protectively.

"You know, you've got a really annoying mood swing going on there, don't ya pinky?" chuckled a man's voice from the darkness around them. Natsu considered trying to take them down, but didn't know if they were normal, or another one of Zeref's subjects. A vicious laughter erupted from the man's throat as Natsu sensed him in every direction.

"I smell your fear..." he said. "I love the scent of a terrified dragon!"

"What do you mean?" growled Natsu. "What dragon?"

The man began cackling as he landed in front of them in the shadows of the trees. His head was lowered, and covered in long, wild dark blue hair. His body was covered in a high collared, black cloak, sharp red claws hanging around his neck, a sash around his waist, and a baggy pair of blue pants. At first glance and if they didn't know where he came from, he would have come off as a someone who might mug someone. As he stood up, showing his face to them, light blue markings could be seen on his right arm, as well as his face. His dark skin made him seem to be much larger than he was, almost like he was looming over them. His blue eyes, bore into Lucy's, striking her with fear as Natsu continued to stay between them.

"Who are you and what do you want?" growled the pinkette, feeling the fire within him swell.

The man was on him in an instant, his large hand around Natsu's neck and lifting the boy into the air. He struggled to get out of the mans tight grip on his throat gasping for air.

He smirked at Natsu. "My name is Acnologia, the Dragon King." he chuckled. "Surely you should've been able to entertain me more before I kill you, but Zeref needs you alive right now."

"Natsu!" cried the blonde. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She slammed her foot into the man's crotch. Now, no matter how much you can take, whether you have pain resistance or anything, anyone would double over at that, which the man did, dropping the body. Natsu gasped for air as she helped him up and ran. Luckily, he recovered quickly. It was no use. He caught them in an instant, knocking Natsu down, and then her. She tried fighting his grasp, but it did nothing. Suddenly, flames roared to life as Natsu finally transformed.

His ruby red eyes filled with anger. "**Don't you fucking touch her!**" he growled.

Acnologia began laughing hysterically. "Finally! You're dragon comes forth!" His blue eyes holding a maddened gaze. "I'm going to enjoy this!" he growled as they lunged at each other. Natsu barely got a punch in as the man's fist landed on his head with a loud crack, knocking him to the ground unconscious. The girl scrambled to him, tears pouring from her face as she gazed upon his lifeless one. Her screams loud and repetitive.

"Natsu! Natsu, please wake up!" she cried. "Natsu!"

They were ended with a swift blow to her head. Her vision faded, still showing her the man laughing over them, that sick twisted smile on his face as darkness fell over her. Her eyes shut, possibly for the last time. Her only thought was the boy's name.

_Natsu_.

* * *

Acnologia is finally here. I was debating on who to have in this story, and finally came to the conclusion to add him in. Don't worry though, this isn't the last time we'll see him. It seems he's working for Zeref, and I kinda made him seem OP in this little scene, which will be explained later on. I'm sure you get it. I'm sure a couple people might be wondering why the hell I had Gray seem to be a kinder person so quick. Don't worry, things have only begun to play out, hehehe ;3

As for the scene where Lucy finds Natsu in the woods, I realize it was a little strange, but oh well. It had to be done because... well, I can't say now. You'll have to keep reading to find out. :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter! :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Acnologia: ?

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	7. Ch7 - Intriguing Findings

Hey all! Sorry for the wait! I've been busy with some classes, and writing the first chapter of my new story. It seems writers block love hanging around me lately. Another thing being my stupid overly creative mind keeps throwing scenes into my head that I want to write but I can only do one! ;-;

As for the new story, it's actually my first unofficial fanfic I began writing based off SAO. Literally, the same thing happened when I thought it up, so I stopped but I'm posting it soon! :D

Anyway, enough delays! Let's get on with the story! :D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

He didn't know what was happening. Gray had watched the blonde run into the forest after being pulled aside by Levy. As soon as she'd dashed off, he took a turn to pull the bluenette to the side. In doing so, he saw the distress written on her face.

"Levy, what's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

The bluenette, stuttered when trying to answer him.

"W-Well," she began, "Natsu saw you and Lucy…" she said, staring at him while his eyes widened.

_Shit!_ He mentally cursed himself. But he thought for a moment, immediately discarding the idea that he'd stuck around long enough to hear his rejection. He was about to chase after the two, until her small hand grabbed his jacket, and shook her head.

"Gray, you can't go!" she pleaded.

"But-"

"You're part of the cause!" she said. "Lucy told me you want to be friends with Natsu again, but I think only Lucy can fix this right now." Gray gritted his teeth. She was right, and he knew it. It was their only option.

Gajeel walked up to them. "Shrimp is right." he said, earning a light punch from Levy. "Bunny Girl's the only one who can get through to him."

"First off, Bunny Girl? Really?" said Gray, raising a brow.

"Gihihi. It fits her. She looks like a bunny when she's flustered, can't sit still for nothin!" he laughed.

"Anyway, second, how did you hear us from over there?" he asked, confused and pointing to their friends farther away. The boy just pointed to his ears and smirked. "Laxus heard it two. These abilities Zeref gave us enhanced our senses."

"Interesting." said Gray. "How come that hasn't worked for me?"

Gajeel shrugged. "How about when I'm beating the shit out of Zeref, I'll ask him for ya." he chuckled. Gray rolled his eyes. They gave them a while, until realizing they were taking a while. They all were getting worried, and were preparing to go after the two. That was until they heard the terrifying screams of the blonde in the distance.

They all instantly bolted off in the direction they'd seen them go, hoping they would make it in time. But sadly, they found themselves to be wrong.

By the time they got to the spot their friends had been, they could tell something went down. Burnt tree trunks and leaves, as well as a divot in the ground proved that much.

"Shit!" cursed Gray, kicking a tree.

Gajeel growled. "They're not far, I can smell 'em."

"Me too." grunted Laxus.

With that, they chased down their scent, finding it to get farther away from them as they went.

"Whoever's got them, is pretty fast." muttered Jellal as they ran, with the others lagging behind them.

"I don't like the power I sensed coming from that area." noted Laxus. "It was similar to ours and Natsu's." Gajeel nodded. "But amplified." Just who was this guy and why did he come after them. Was this Zeref's attempt to lure them back to him? If it was, they were falling for it, big time. But they knew the risk, and were willing to take it to save their friends. They just had to.

* * *

When she awoke, Lucy found herself chained to a wall, in a similar room to where she'd been before when they'd first been kidnapped. The only difference was that Acnologia was in the room with her. The way he was sitting and staring at her made the blonde extremely nervous, especially with the sick grin on his face as she struggled helplessly.

"No use blondie." he chuckled. "You're not escaping this time."

"Let me go! What have you done with Natsu!?" she snapped,

He snickered. "You mean that shitty brat? He's behind us." More masked scientist rolled a still transformed and unconscious Natsu into the room, strapped to the table with dark restraints. They were different than the ones he had before. The door to the room opened, revealing Zeref in his dark glory. He turned toward their room and smiled.

"Wonderful to see you again, Ms. Lucy." he said, turning to face her. He and everyone else except Acnologia jumped when a loud yell broke from the pinkette strapped to the table awoke.

"Fucking Zeref! Acnologia!" he growled, his red eyes burning with rage.

"Oh, good to see you too, little brother." he said smiling at the pinkette.

"You aren't my brother, so shut the fuck up!"

"Tsk, Tsk. You're parents would be ashamed of you're language."

The pinkette smirked. "And yours would be ashamed of the douchebag you've become." he shot back, causing Zeref to sigh.

"Anyway, I'm glad to have you back, but did you really have to take out Reaper like you did?" he asked annoyed.

"You shouldn't have sent him after me and the others."

Zeref was at Natsu's throat, gripping it, causing the blonde to yell at him through the window, which the noirette ignored.

"I grow tired of these little games." he grumbled. "You couldn't even comprehend why I did what I did, so shut up and listen when I say that you belong to me now." Natsu growled and attempted to bite the man. As the noirette stood, he walked to another table. "Now then, why don't I explain this while we wait for your friends to arrive." he said.

"What I gave you was called serum AX-331-Draco, giving you the abilities and senses of a mythical beast: a dragon. To be more precise, a fire dragon, hence the flames and red scales, though you are not the only dragon in my arsenal. Actually, you're father held the same power." he continued, causing Natsu to become deathly still.

"W-What?"

"That's right. Igneel was the first to receive the fire dragon formula, the second prototype of the series. It was named AX-330-Draco, and dubbed him as the Fire Dragon King for his immediate control of the powers he was granted. The first was Acnologia, a generic but all powerful dragon serum dubbed as DK-103-Draco. He has the ability to nullify all types of magic, and he is truly a Dragon King." he said.

"Wait. Did you say 'magic'?" asked Natsu.

"Yes, in fact I did. You see, humans long before us had these abilities, but lost it throughout the process of evolution. Thus, I sought out to recreate it within us, for the greater good obviously." he smiled. "This world is sinful, so I shall take the reins so to speak, and set the human race on course, with the ultimate magic power. I just need to develop it." he said. "Unfortunately, there were some problems with the dragon serum, turning most of those into literal dragons."

Lucy's eyes widened. Dragons? How is that possible?

"Igneel managed to escape, releasing other subjects with him into the world. Over time, I have brought them back for more testing, as well as newer subjects to test. Some of those being you and your friends. You, Natsu, and your black and blond haired buddies have similar powers to Igneel and Acnologia. The boy named Gajeel, received the IS-819-Draco, or Iron Dragon formula, and the one called Laxus, received the LG-583-Draco, or Lighting Dragon formula."

"What about Gray, Erza, and Jellal?" growled Natsu.

"The boy Gray received a similar formula, the ID-200-Slayer, otherwise known as the Ice Demon Slayer formula." he said. "I originally created it as a containment system, giving him the powers of an ice demon to slay them."

"Demon? What the hell do you mean, Demon?"

Zeref sighed. "Some of my projects, a particular line of them, turned into literal demons, based on some DNA and the formation of the serum I used on them. My first creation of these started as a more righteous goal, to revive a boy's life. I am happy to know it worked."

Lucy gasped. "H-He raised someone from the dead?"

Acnologia smirked. "Indeed. And the boy is in this building."

"They are extremely powerful, more so than you and your little friends. They practically worship me for giving them their power." Zeref continued. "The boy became the same to them as I did: a God and their leader. As for the redhead, she was given a special magic, able to summon armor and weapons that have been used centuries before us, pulling them from a vault in space to use at her will. Finally, the boy Jellal, was given heavenly body magic. His powers are quite powerful and range in use." he finished. "Now, I'm going to obtain a sample of your blood, so-"

Suddenly, the wall burst open, causing Zeref to curse. "What now? Acnologia, deal with it!"

The man smirked. "With ple-" he never finished since dark red flames shot him into the wall. Lucy and Natsu soon found themselves freed and in the sky, being held by something that made them almost wet themselves: a giant red dragon.

Lucy, like any other normal person would react, began screaming. She looked a Natsu to do something, but he was just staring at the dragon, and he was doing it with a longing look in his eyes.

"Natsu! Wake up and get us out of here!" she cried.

"..."

He just kept staring as they flew farther away from the now what seemed like the side of a mountain. She realized how far they'd traveled from it in a couple seconds, and yet they were still far from what appeared to be the corn maze on the outskirts of the neighborhood ring.

"D-Dad?" Natsu finally said, drawing her attention to the boy. Suddenly, she remembered what Zeref said when he spilled the beans about what was happening to them.

"Oh my-" she stopped when she saw the dragon smirk at them. "I'm glad to see you too, Natsu." it's deep voice rumbled. "But let's get away from here for a little bit, shall we?"

Lucy could only help but smile at the boys face. He had tears of happiness crawling down his cheek, having finally found his father, as they flew off from Zeref's lab.

* * *

Little to say it was funny to see their friends reactions, but she swore that Levy almost fainted. Gajeel was there to hold her up, while looking like he was about to himself.

"You're dad's a dragon!?" they all exclaimed.

Natsu and Igneel, who finally transformed into a human, laughed at their reaction. His hair resembled Natsu's in the sense of style, and his black eyes seemed quite friendly, unlike how they were in his dragon form. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, witt ad pair of dark blue jeans. His brown combat boots were covered in soot from the fire he caused.

"Question: What the hell is going on?" asked Gray, earning a nod from the others. Natsu narrowed his once jolly eyes, telling them everything that Zeref had told them, specifically about the magic they were given.

"Now that you all have heard that, I think I ought to explain myself." said Igneel, who turned to Natsu, grabbing his shoulders. "Especially to you."

"Makarov, your principal, along with a couple others and I who were given magic by Zeref, formed a small little group, looking to take that bastard down." he said. The day I disappeared was the day that happened. I never left you completely, Natsu. I watched painfully as your life went on, wishing I could reveal myself." the sorrow was evident in his voice.

"But why now?"

The man chuckled. "Well, I couldn't let anything happen to you two, so I kinda blew my cover. Not even Zeref or Acnologia knew I was still alive." he said.

He told them all about his experience as they began walking back to the maze. When he first met Zeref, he was told about the project, and he thought he might as well try it. When he figured out what it was truly about, he refused to cooperate, and went on a rampage. On his own, he took in Natsu as his son, deciding to lay low. Zeref didn't stop his quest for an all powerful magic, so he knew he'd have to do something, but he couldn't drag Natsu into it. He had barely known what to do until he and Makarov met up after a while, and called others they had escaped with to come together and attempt to stop the madman from accomplishing his goal.

All of them understood what he did, though Natsu did the unthinkable: he headbutted the man in the stomach. They all gaped at him.

"You could've told me, dad!" he growled.

Igneel just laughed. "Stubborn as ever. That's the reason I didn't. I knew you'd want to help, being the kid I raise I know a thing or two about you." he chuckled.

Natsu sighed. "Fine."

"So, you going to live with me again or your girlfriends?"

Lucy's and Natsu's faces reddened, earning some snickers form their friends. Gray smirked, but Lucy knew he probably disliked her living with the pinkette.

"S-Shut up!" he growled at them.

"Make me, flame brain." snickered Gajeel, smashing his forehead against the boy's, in which Natsu did the same. They growled at each other.

"Gajeel, you're father. Is he by any chance go by Metalicana?" asked Igneel.

"How'd you-"

Igneel sighed. "I knew it. That metal head didn't tell me he had a son."

"You know my dad!?"

"He's my brother." said Igneel, making them all gape at him.

"So he's my cousin!?" cried Gajeel and Natsu, pointing at each other. Igneel nodded, laughing when the boys almost fainted. Gajeel, like Gray, tended to argue with the pinkette, trying to one up him in everything.

"Well, kind of cousins." said Erza.

"Actually, your real father was our brother as well."

"Don't fuck with me old man." said Natsu, looking utterly confused and annoyed.

"I'm not, boy, so hush up and listen to me. I'll tell you more, considering you're old enough now, but I'll do so later."

When they all made it back, they found Lucy's father waiting for them, questioning who Igneel was. When they told him, he was surprised, but the two seemed to get along instantly. They drove home, in their respective cars to Lucy's. While the adults talked, the teenagers went into the living room, collapsing on the couch, tired from the night's events.

"I swear." said Gajeel, "Every time we deal with something, another thing happens." This earned a nod from the others.

"Juvia agrees." said the bluenette, who sat next to Gray.

"Today has truly been eventful, but let's not be down about it." said Mira cheerfully.

"Mira's right." Chimed in Cana. "Natsu just found his dad, and we just had one hell of a time in that maze!" she beamed.

"Not really." muttered everyone else.

"That's because you purposely dumped beer on one of the guys who jumped out of the corn." muttered Laxus, who'd been stuck with the brunette.

"Oh come on, Laxus!" she smirked. "You have to admit that was funny!"

"Whatever."

"Anyway, Natsu, grab that guitar of yours and sing something for us!" laughed Cana.

"Well, I don't know." said Natsu, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Come on, Natsu." said Gray, causing Natsu to question the boy's motive. "I'll sing with you." he laughed, surprising everyone.

"You too?" asked Lucy.

"Yup." he said. "Probably better than him too."

"Wanna bet, ice prick?"

"Let do it then, ash nuts!" smirked Gray.

Natsu went upstairs and brought down his guitar. Sitting down, he began to strum a tune, which Gray seemed to know. He sat beside the pinkette, he began beating the chair in a similar tune. Smiling at each other, Natsu began singing.

_Got a girl from the south side, got braids in her hair_

_First time I seen her walk by, man I 'bout fell off my chair_

_Had to get her number, it took me like six weeks_

_Now me and her go way back like Cadillac seats_

Gray chimed in, his voice mixing with Natsu's harmoniously.

_Body like a back road, drivin' with my eyes closed_

_I know every curve like the back of my hand_

_Doin' 15 in a 30, I ain't in no hurry_

_I'mma take it slow just as fast as I can_

At that moment, Cana stood up, pulling Mira with her and they both started dancing to the tune. THe others seemed to get into it, each taking up what little room they had left around them. Wendy, who showed up after hearing Natsu start singing, joined in on their fun. The three adults gazed at the group of kids, smiling at them getting along.

"Igneel, I hope you don't mind Natsu having stayed with us." said Claire.

"Oh not at all!" the redhead smiled. "In fact, I think it's been a good thing that he experience having friends, especially after they told me what happened while I was away."

"Speaking of which, where were you?"

Igneel sighed, knowing he needed and alibi. "I was arrested wrongfully and held in prison. I didn't get a fair trial or nothing." he grumbled. "I wasn't even allowed to send a letter to him, let alone a phone call. Someone wanted me put away, and when I find out, they're going away for a long time." When they seemed to buy his lie, he smiled. "Still, I can't thank you enough for taking care of him for me." he said as they turned back to the singing and dancing teens. He'd been watching Natsu grow up, knowing his trouble and desperately wanting to do something, and throughout that time, he hadn't seen the boy happier than when he was with his friends.

_That boy, Gray_. He remembered, his smile fading slightly. _Do I tell him about Silver?_ He decided to wait for the right time as he did with Natsu. After all, there were still things he couldn't say yet, or at all. If he did, he knew they'd all be in danger.

_Whatever happens, I cannot allow the Great Demon King to awaken._ He thought. _For the world's, the kids, and Natsu's sake._

* * *

Zeref sat in his office. His black eyes narrowed in anger. He stood abruptly, yelling and knocking items off his desk.

"**That damned Igneel!**" he screamed. "He was supposed to be dead! He just had to disrupt my plans again!"

Inside that very room, a man with blue hair stood and glasses covering his icy blue eyes, watching the man. His face indifferent, but naturally he was terrified. He knew Zeref could be quite destructive when angry.

"I was close to it!" he said. "I was close to unlocking my greatest creation of all!"

"Sir, if I may-"

"No, Invel! **You may not!**" he growled, his black eyes boring into the icy blue ones. "As soon as I create the magic I require, I will rule this world! And Igneel cannot stop me!"

"Sir, he took the child. How will you accomplish your goal?"

The man smirked wildly. "He will come to me." he said. "For now, retrieve **the book.**"

Invel's eyes widened. "That book?"

"Yes. That book. My greatest creation, waiting to be freed. I don't know what compelled me to save that boy. If I hadn't, I would be able to rule this city already, and my plan would have been well towards complete."

"I understand, sir." Invel remarked, bowing to his boss. "And the demons?"

"Not yet. If he gains power, this will make my mistake worth it." he grinned. "Well worth it. And soon, the end of this era will be upon us."

* * *

Oh my. Is it just me or do any of you find this chapter messy and strange? Idk atm, i'll review it but for now I'll leave it be. Quite a bit happened here, with Zeref explaining the powers they were given, as well as Igneel being able to become a dragon, and that there are demons among Zeref's ranks! More trouble seems to await the gang, and will they be able to handle whatever Zeref throws at them? And the fact that Natsu's father, Metalicana, and Igneel were all brothers has a slight significance lol.

After that, It's now Thanksgiving, so I might not update anything for a while, but I will be open to questions if you have any. Also please review so I know how I'm doing. Every comment helps! :3

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Invel: 30

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	8. Ch8 - Thanksgiving's End

Hey all, sorry for the long wait!

I've been held up due to writers block and two finals I have been studying for, pls forgive me. ;-;

Anyway, I've been going over this chapter, and I hope it doesn't feel like the plot has been rushed. And just to clarify, all content within this chapter is during the setting of Thanksgiving Day. Speaking of which, I hope you all had a great break! :D

Now, lets got this going! :P

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

It didn't take long for Thanksgiving break to arrive, giving them time to come closer. And throughout the month, Zeref seemed to have stayed silent with his attempts to capture them. Lucy figured that he was being generous, but dismissed it considering his tendencies. They had planned on having a big Thanksgiving feast together, with the help of Principal Makarov. He suggested having Thanksgiving at his place, which Laxus seemed to like the idea of. When they arrived, they figured out an interesting fact about the principal and blond.

"Laxus!" exclaimed Natsu. "I didn't know you were fucking loaded!"

"Language, Natsu." sighed Igneel as he smacked him on the back of the head, causing Claire and Ryan to laugh.

It was true. The two lived in a mansion on the north side of town

"Oi! Quit it!" growled Natsu.

Speaking of Laxus, Lucy had originally thought he was a tough and curt guy, but she realized that was mainly just his outside look. He was actually a pretty nice guy, though he either was just silent like Jellal, or getting in on some of the other guys' shenanigans. Turned out he was also one of the football players for their high school, especially by the way Makarov began talking about him during an after school meeting. He could be seen smacking his forehead, probably wanting to punch his grandfather.

Natsu had continued to live with them, though Igneel wouldn't be far. As it turned out, Gajeel and his father lived farther up the street, making it possible for Igneel to come over whenever he wanted to see Natsu. Natsu and Gajeel were still confused at how they were related, as Metalicana and Igneel explained they were brothers once again. Gajeel had been crying in a corner after that, while Natsu looked like his head was about to explode.

"It's not that complicated, son." sighed Igneel.

"Uhhhhh…" muttered the pinkette, staring into space.

Sighing, he just sat down on Makarov's couch, which happened to be about ten feet long, with another extension at one end, of another eight feet. All the boys had climbed on the couch, turning on their large flat screen.

"Laxus, you really are privileged." commented Gray.

"Shut up." the blond grunted.

Suddenly the Levy burst into the room, waving her phone. "Hey guys! Check out what the new headline is!" she exclaimed. Everyone turned to her, curiosity consuming most of them.

"What are ya talkin about, shrimp?" asked Gajeel.

"Just turn on the news already! And I'm not a shrimp!" she pouted. Lucy snagged the remote from Igneel before he could say otherwise, and turned it to channel fourteen.

"-And now for the big topic today, we've got a story written by a witness to the incident a couple months ago, when the two human-like creatures cause a fright throughout the city." said the woman on the TV, picking a piece of paper up. "They said they watched the two fight, and apparently, she saw scales upon the fire wielder, almost like a reptile. He ferociously took down his opponent after freeing her and the other captives, and claims whatever or whoever it was, save her and should be considered a hero."

Lucy and the others could practically feel Natsu's ego begin to inflate, getting bigger from every word. The lady continued.

"The reason why we bring this back up," she said, putting the paper down. "Is because authorities have acknowledged the existence of this creature, which now dubbed as 'Salamander'-"

Pop. His ego was gone just like that.

"Salamander!? Are you serious!?" he yelled.

"Natsu! Keep it down!" whisper yelled the blonde next to him, trying to keep herself from laughing like the rest.

"- as a threat."

They all stopped laughing. Natsu had been officially named as a threat. "W-What?" he exclaimed.

"Authorities say that if anyone should see any trace of the Salamander, they should quickly notify them. If any other creature appears, similar to the Salamander, they encourage people to do the same, and get away as quickly as possible."

Igneel took the liberty of muting the TV. "Damn reporters." he growled. A somber atmosphere fell over them, especially the subject of the report. Natsu's eyes had widened, to where they looked as if they'd pop out any second. Igneel stood, excusing himself to go rage in solitude without being bothered, as well as not disturb the other adults at work preparing dinner. Gray snorted, causing everyone to look at him.

"Natsu, don't listen to them." he grumbled. "If you ask me, they can shove it. You saved those people and that's final."

The pinkette sighed and gave a small smile. "Thanks Gray."

Lucy and the others smiled and nodded.

"Anyway," Natsu said, "who's ready to eat that turkey?" he smirked.

"Oh we're not letting you get to the bird first, you weirdo." said Laxus. "You'd eat everything before we even got a chance to get anything on our plates!"

"Oi! What are you sayin!?" he growled at the blond.

"That you eat too much!" smirked Laxus.

"Wanna go, sparky?"

"Try me!"

With that, Laxus pounced on the pinkette, causing them to fall to the floor, tumbling around. Gray and Gajeel eventually grew bored of watching the fight and decided to join in. The girls attempted to break them up, but stopped when hearing the boys' laughter. When they finally split up from each other, their each of their hair was rustled up, but all four donned a smile upon their faces. The girls began laughing with them. Lucy wished they could always be this happy. But her mind drifted off for a second, on a topic she hadn't thought about in a whole month: Halloween, with Gray and Natsu's confessions.

Lucy felt her face getting hot and decided to excuse herself for a moment to calm down. She excused herself and made her way to the bathroom, hoping no one saw her blushing. Sitting on the toilet, she recalled turning Gray down, but never giving Natsu an answer. In all honesty, she didn't even know how she felt herself. Considering her relationship with the two boys, and her anxiousness around both of them, she wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. She found both of them to be attractive at first sight, despite each of their demeanors when she met them, and still did currently have the same attraction to them. She didn't know if it was love, or just lusting for a hot guy.

Both of the boys had athletic figures, but Natsu's tanned skin gave him the upper hand. The tan made his abs more defined, though Gray didn't have a bad set himself. She'd seen the two in action, in multiple of their sparring sessions, getting a glimpse of their bare upper bodies. On that note, Gray now had an odd habit of randomly stripping clothes off, even without noticing. Natsu on the other hand, if he wasn't careful, would accidently burn his clothes.

They were both handsome in their own rights as well. Natsu, now at least, had the most infectious smile in school now, causing anyone to see it to smile as well. He got questions now, along with his Gajeel and Laxus, about their irregular canines. She couldn't help but smile herself thinking about that grin of his. Gray, had a cool smile of his own. He gave off a simple cool aura, that she'd never seen in anyone before. He was probably one of the most popular kids in school to boot, though he was an ass to Natsu beforehand.

As she had been reminiscing, a loud knock came on the door, almost causing the blonde to fall off the seat.

"Lucy, are you okay?" called Levy's voice. "You've been in there for a while."

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, not wanting to worry her friend anymore. As she stood, fixed herself, and opened the door, she found a smirk on Levy's face.

"Was someone 'busy' in there?" the bluenette giggled.

The blondes face lit up red. "L-Levy!" she cried, causing the bluenette to giggle more. The two eventually returned to the rest of their group, just in time for the meal to begin. The food looked perfect in every way. Natsu could be seen, practically drooling, wanting to dig in already. After they said their prayer, each person saying what they were thankful for, they dug in. It was all a blur after she finished eating, remembering nothing but bliss.

"Ahhhh~" she sighed with a smile. "That was delicious~"

Lots of nods and hums of agreement came from others around the large table. Looking next to her, she noticed Natsu was fighting to stay awake, probably from the amount of turkey he'd eaten. As the adults began to converse again, Lucy and the others made their way back into the living room. Natsu had barely made it to the couch before he conked out. Lucy sighed as she watched not only the rest of the guys, but the girls as well, fall under the spell of the tryptophan. She yawned once more before following her friends' lead, closing her eyes with a smile.

* * *

Igneel was rather enjoying his time with the adults. He'd watched the Natsu, Lucy, and the others all pass out in the living room, chuckling to himself. Makarov suddenly stood, catching his attention.

"Igneel, Metalicana. Could you help me with something?" the elderly man said. Igneel looked at his brother, shrugging. The two men followed the short man upstairs, until Igneel understood that they were going to discuss the children.

"So, what's up Makarov?" asked Metalicana.

He was straight to the point. "I'm concerned with the situation the kids are in." he said.

"Well, you're not alone in that." added Igneel. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"It's just I feel…. Like something is off about the last month." he continued. "Zeref hasn't made a move in a while, and I'm also concerned with how the magic will affect the kids."

Igneel's face darkened. "So. You sensed it too?" Makarov nodded. "There's something strange going on here. And I'm sure that things are about to turn for the worst."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Metalicana. The black haired man frowned. "They're dealing with magic for crying out loud!"

"Of course!" said Makarov. "But it's not just the magic they were given that concerns me!" he growled.

Igneel froze. _Did he figure it out?_ He wondered.

"Something just doesn't feel right. The magic they possess is strong, and we will not always be around to protect them." the old man said. Igneel sighed.

"You're suggesting we train them to fight, aren't you?"

Makarov nodded. "Precisely."

"Have you told the others yet? And has she found a cure?"

"Unfortunately I must tell you no to the second question. But the answer to the first is a yes." Makarov sighed.

"Well," said Igneel. "Let's at least give them time to enjoy themselves. We shouldn't force anything more on them right now."

Metalicana nodded. "I agree. They seemed to be enjoying themselves." he smirked.

With a smile Makarov nodded. "Just be on the lookout for any movement from the enemy." he said. "We have to stop Zeref from achieving his goal, and taking any more innocent people."

With a nod, they began walking downstairs. Igneel, however, still had his mind on what Makarov had said. _Has he, or has he not sensed that power yet?_ He wondered. _There's no way he hasn't, but even if he did, it might take a while before he connects the dots._

He sighed. _Maybe I'll pay Zeref a visit._

* * *

Zeref walked through the halls of his lab, checking on his plan's progress. Invel had assured him everything was in place, but he had to make sure it was perfect. The upcoming holiday, Christmas was coming, as well as New Year's Eve. Everything had to be ready by then. He glanced at test results, smiling to himself. He was close to his goal, and only a few had what little power could stop him.

He picked up some sample serums, glancing at the makeup of the formula, the simulations, and sample subjects. Everything but the subjects was going wrong. He growled in frustration, turning to a scientist.

"Why isn't it working!?" he snarled.

"W-We're not sure, sir!" the man said. "The subjects always ... burst when they receive the serum!"

Angrily, Zeref grabbed a syringe of the black serum, and stepped closer to the man.

"Well, figure it out, or I'll use you as a test subject!" he growled. He grabbed one of the other scientists, and swiftly injected the serum into the screaming man. Larger guards dragged the man as his body contorted in all directions, bumps rising and falling like something was shifting or exploding underneath the man's skin. His screams faded until he was thrown into the room in front of them. The man gripped his head, smashing it against the wall, thrashing about. He began tearing at his flesh, blood spilling over, until he burst, blood, guts and flesh staining the glass and walls.

The man next to Zeref shuddered in fear. "Y-Yes sir!" he began working furiously and Zeref sighed and exited. Invel came up to him.

"Was that nece-"

"**Yes**." Zeref said, cutting him off. The blue haired man watched as his boss walked down the hall. He sighed, and continued on his way in the opposite direction. The noirette entered his room, shutting and locking the door, sighing as he walked over to his picked up his phone, pressing one of the speed dial buttons.

_"Hello?"_ said the voice on the phone.

"Put Acnologia on."

_"Sure thing." _the voice paused until a new one cam over the line._ "What do you want?"_

"I need you to do something for me." said Zeref.

_"... Does it involve the **dragons**?"_ he growled.

"Kind of." said Zeref.

Ancnolgica grumbled. _"You think I'm your little pawn? I only let you do your little experiment to gain power, so I could **kill** Igneel and the others. You understand that?"_

"I don't give a damn!" growled Zeref. "I gave you that power, and I can kill you to take it away!"

_"Try me! You ain't got the balls to come after me like you are now, you pathetic, weak little **human**!" _Acnologia snarled._ "I could wip-"_

"**Listen here.**" growled Zeref. "Either you listen to me, or-"

_"You know what? I already have what I need. So **fuck you**."_ growled the man before he hung up. Zeref heard a loud crash from the floors below him, and watched as a large dark object soared into the sky. He growled before sitting down on his chair, rubbing his forehead. _Why did this have to happen now?_ He thought angrily. He then turned his attention to his desk.

He just sat there, looking at the book in front of him. He smiled, wiping the cover gently, as if he applied too much pressure, it might break. The crimson hard cover had a gold trim, as well as three large black letters on it, spelling one word: END.

He grinned. "My greatest creation." he said as what was inside the book seemed to glow a faint red between the pages. "Don't worry. Your time is coming to reveal yourself, END." he said.

The glow grew more intense. "Easy. It seems that he's been rebellious, but he doesn't know the truth." He narrowed his eyes. "That blasted Igneel, and the other children are in the way, but don't fret. I already have a couple subjects on the case."

The glow grew more intense, then faded slightly, and Zeref finally opened the book.

"Zeref…..." groaned a voice.

"My goal will come to pass, whether they want it or not. He will see it soon, how foolish it is to defy fate." smirked Zeref.

"Blood..."

"Your brethren are anxious as well. They wish to wreak havoc, but one thing at a time." said Zeref. "You will soon be free to do as you wish."

"...**DEATH**…." the voice screeched before Zeref shut the cover. He sighed. Glancing at a picture on his desk, he smiled. "Little brother, Natsu. Lets see what you are capable of." He dialed the phone once more.

_"Sir! It's not my-"_

"Never mind that!" he growled. "Release subject group, O.S."

_"Are you sure about that sir?"_ asked the man, startled at the request.

"**Are you questioning me?**" he warned. "**Just do it.**"

_"Y-Yes sir."_

After hanging up, he opened one of the desk's drawers. Inside, were empty vials, all except for one. It had a portion left in it, similar to the serum Zeref had used earlier on the one scientist. He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out another vial filled with the same black liquid from earlier. He pulled out a syringe, filling it with the black serum. An evil smirk appeared on his face as his black eyes followed the needle. He stabbed the needle into his flesh, injecting the serum into his body. He placed the empty vial into the drawer along with the syringe, and locked it. He felt pulse of energy rush through him, and he looked at his hand. He focused, but nothing happened.

"Damn it. So much for getting lucky." he growled to himself. "Seems like we still have more work to do." He stood smirking, and left the lab without a word to as what he had done, or what he was about to do.

_Here I come, Natsu._

* * *

During the group's nice long nap, Lucy awoke to a rather strange sight. She was leaning on Natsu's back on the floor. She felt her face heat up as she shot up from her position.

_Shit Shit Shit!_ She thought. She looked around at the sound of a light giggle.

Levy had a rather large smirk on her face.

"I-It's not what you think, Levy!" she whisper yelled.

"Sure, sure." she giggled again.

"L-Levy!"

A grunt was heard as head of black hair collapsed on the tiny bluenette, causing her to yelp. Gajeel, whom was still sleeping, had slid over, and landed on her. The poor girl's face was bright red as she squirmed, trying to get out from underneath the boy.

"L-Lu! Help meeee!" she squealed in a whisper, causing the blonde to start giggling.

"It's n-not funny!"

The blonde gave in with a smile and helped her friend out. Together, they left their sleeping friends and decided to explore the house. As they went to the second floor, Lucy thought for a second, concerning her situation with the boys once more

_Maybe Levy has an idea on what I should do._ She thought.

"Hey Levy?"

"What's up, Lu?"

"Well, um." she said. "I was thinking about Halloween. Mainly about…"

Levy grabbed the blonde's shoulders, surprising her. "Don't worry, Lu." she said with a smile. "You're thinking about this too hard. Just do what you feel is right. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Lucy nodded and smiled. However, she was sure not sure what to do.

As they kept looking around, Levy smirked to herself. _I wonder how this will play out?_ She thought. _Mira's going to have a ball with this!_

The rest of their time at the Dreyers', the group enjoyed playing some board games, and listening to music. They were all laughing and having a great time together, leaving their troubles to float off into the wind. Even the grownups came in to join their little party. Natsu, like always had brought along his guitar as part of the entertainment, and began struming a tune.

_I don't know about you_

_But I never could make it this far_

_On a Thursday before 10 o'clock_

_But I thought what the hell why not?_

_I don't know about you_

_But I never walk up and talk to_

_A stranger but when I saw you_

_I had to, I just had to_

Igneel sat beside Natsu, tapping the table beside them to the beat. His grin matched Natsu's infectious one, forcing everyone to smile as well. Following the boy's lead, he too began singing.

_Girl, I know your favorite beer_

_'Cause you told me_

_And I bought it_

_You can leave me sitting right here_

_But if you feel like talking_

_What's your name, what's your sign, what's your birthday?_

_What's your wrist tattoo bible verse say?_

_Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date?_

_Don't hold anything back_

_What's your dream job?_

_Girl, where's your hometown, yeah?_

_What makes your world spin round and around_

_Are you down to get out of here too?_

_Tell me everything 'til there's nothing I don't know about you_

Once more, Lucy was taken to a state of awe at Natsu's talent, probably brought to light by Igneel. Every time he played, she felt all her cares, fear, worries disappear, and a sense of ease wash over her like a tidal wave. He always looked so joyful when he sang, she honestly wanted a part of that too. She thought for a minute as her eyes continued to stare at the boy. She felt her cheeks heat up a little, and her heart began to beat faster. While after the duo finished singing, she felt a question float around her head.

Eyeing the pinkette, she wondered, Do_ I love Natsu?_ She smiled for a second. _Maybe..._

Eventually they left Makarov and Laxus', heading for home, while she pondered about the upcoming holiday, Christmas. An idea formed in her head and she smiled.

_I know just what to do._

* * *

Oooh, what's Lucy going to do? Also, what's going on with Zeref? What has he released upon our heroes now? So many questions, eh? Igneel seems to know something, but what exactly is it, and will he actually confront Zeref on his own? And just what will happen with Acnologia and the demon book of END? More developments, next time! Also, if you haven't noticed by now that I'm a country fan, well, now you know. XD

PLS REVIEW! I want to know how this came out, so drop any questions, comments, concerns, declarations, amendments... you get the idea. XD

P.S., for all those who've read my SAO story, I'll be redoing it based on some plot holes. Please keep in mind that I'm no pro at this, just your average amateur writer, just trying to spread my fanfics lol, so every comment helps! :D

Until next time, bye my friends and Happy Holidays! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- I Don't Know About You by Chris Lane

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Metalicana: 54

\- Igneel: 53

**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	9. Ch9 - OS, Oh Shit

HEY Y'ALL! I MISSED YOU!

I've been trying to make time for writing and I've been held up with a lot of stuff with school and my sport, so I really REALLY apologize to you all for the late update.

Anyway, I realize my grammar has been wonky in most of my writing, so I want to give a big shout out to FireShifter for helping me out with correcting the missed grammar errors, and for going over my story for possible plot holes.

As for where we left off, it seems like everyone's been having a good time as of late, but sadly for our heroes, happiness and peace can't last forever. Zeref has released the groups next obstacles, and he himself is on the move. But something, or someone, is missing. Who or what could it be? READ TO FIND OUT! :D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

Christmas seemed to be just around the corner, yet it couldn't come fast enough. They'd been quite busy in school as winter break closed in on them, and Lucy in particular was nervous. Her plan was to go into effect in a couple days considering the break began. Third period was going by extremely slow, almost as if time had come to a standstill. The blonde sighed and looked outside.

Just one more day, huh. She thought. After next Monday, winter break arrives.

She'd given thought to her feelings for the two boys who'd confessed to her, and made her decision. She'd always felt a warmth around the pink haired boy, not quite understanding it herself for a while, and dismissed the feeling. During Thanksgiving, she found that her feelings for Natsu were true, and planned to tell him on Christmas, along with giving him a very special gift. She'd talked to Levy about it, and by the bluenette's reaction, she hoped he'd like it. If all went according to plan, the two of them would-

"Hey are you alright?"

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She realized she was blushing, causing her cheeks to turn a darker shade of red, especially since Natsu's face was only inches from hers. His faded jade eyes, staring directly into hers. A worried look on his face.

"O-Oh… yeah." she replied, flustered.

At that, his face morphed into that heart warming smile of his. Flashing his teeth at her, he walked to the door of the classroom, and turned back to her.

"Come on, the others are waiting for us." he said. Looking around, she realized class was over. She quickly packed her bag and they made a run for the gymnasium. When they got there, her father scolded them for being late. After they got changed in the locker rooms, they made their way over to Gray, Gajeel, Erza, and the others who were waiting for them over by the far basketball hoop.

"Hey guys." said the noirette, waving at the two of them. "What took you so long?"

"S-Sorry." Lucy apologized. "I kinda lost track of time… daydreaming, I guess"

"Daydreaming? YOU?" asked a surprised Levy. Suddenly, her face switched to an evil smirk. Lucy read it as, I know you were daydreaming about him. Lucy quickly bolted at the girl, flicking her forehead and telling her to hush. After that was cleared up, Gray came up to her.

"Hey, have you seen Loke?" he asked, a worried look on his face. The blonde shook her head.

"No, I haven't." she thought for a second. "Wait, where's he been? I haven't seen him all week." she recalled.

"Me neither." replied the boy. "He didn't tell me he was going anywhere either, so…"

"Strange indeed." remarked the bluenette. "I wonder if he's okay?"

Lucy instantly had a flashback to when they were kidnapped by Zeref. It sent a shiver down her spine. If Zeref was involved, they had to find Loke quickly. Natsu and the others had gotten used to their magic, learning to control them fairly well, but the fact remained as to how they could stop Zeref from harming anyone on their own. She looked over at Natsu, who was racing Gajeel around the gym. She sighed, knowing that the pinkette wanted to go after Zeref and stop his plans for good, but she knew that he was still new to his powers. From what it seemed, there were much more veteran people within the madman's lab, who'd take them down in an instant.

After the final bell rang, they all headed home. Upon arriving, they ate an early dinner, and went to their rooms. They planned to go around the city to shop and hang out as a group since it was a Friday night. The blonde went through all of her clothes, trying to decide which was the cutest. Eventually, she decided on a pink tank top, a black denim skirt. Due to the weather getting colder, she put a pair of black leggings on underneath to keep her legs warm. Grabbing a black coat downstairs and her purse, she got a pair of hazel Ugg's on, and looked for her pink haired friend to come down the stairs.

When he descended, she found her eyes wandering up and down his body. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans, along with a plain black t-shirt and grey zip-up jacket. He smiled at her as he picked up his grey tennis shoes.

"You look good, Luce." he said, his tanned cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. In return, her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red.

"T-Thanks." she responded. Her heart began to beat faster as she gazed at his jade orbs. "You don't look half bad yourself." she smiled.

With that, they headed outside, where Natsu started up the van. Lucy never would have thought that he'd have his license since he had no way of paying for a class or anything, but when he explained the Makarov played a key role in him being able to take the class, she understood a little better at how he was able to drive. WIth her parents permission, he was given permission to drive the two of them to pick up a couple of their friends for their outing. Within a couple minutes later, Gajeel, Levy, Erza, Gray, and Cana were in the van as they headed into the for some reason, Natsu and Gajeel began to feel queasy. Their faces were turning green, and seeming they'd puke any minute, so Erza stepped up and took the wheel.

"Bleeeerg." groaned the pinkette as he leaned his head out the window. "Wrhaat's wrong wif meh?"

Gajeel answered with the slightest of comments. "We're fuuuging carsi- Uugh"

Mira had texted them earlier saying that she, Laxus and the others were waiting for them at their bar. It took them about fifteen minutes to get there, but upon arrival, they found the bar to be swamped with teenagers.

While Natsu and Gajeel were crying in happiness that they'd exited the vehicle, Lucy and the others were staring in confusion. They looked at Mira who was walking up to greet them. Most of the teenagers they recognized from school, but they didn't understand why they were here.

"Welcome!" chirped the white haired girl. She was wearing a red top with a long, frilly white skirt. She helped them to their tables, although Natsu pulled Gray and Gajeel with him, with Erza tagging along as well. They disappeared for a moment in the prep room as the rest of their friends arrived. The rest settled in, trying to sit as close to the stage as possible. The blonde looked over at Mira, who had brought their group a couple drinks.

"Mira," she asked, "why did the others go with Natsu to the prep room?"

"Oh, that?" She said, "They've been preparing a surprise for a while."

"Surprise?" Lucy mused.

"Mhm. I think you'll enjoy it." she nodded. "Elfman and I have been spreading the word around school via posters, and it seems like we'll have a good crowd tonight."

Just then, the four came out from the prep room with instruments and mics. Elfman and Laxus helped set up on the stage, giving Lucy enough time to grasp what was happening. She smiled to herself as the four friends got to their positions. Gray stood slightly behind and to the left of Natsu, holding a black icy blue electric guitar. Natsu himself had brought his acoustic one, and seemed to be busy tuning at the moment. Erza was behind them to the right, sitting among a crimson drum set, with Gajeel opposite to her, with a steely bass guitar. When everything seemed to be ready, Natsu spoke into the mic.

"Hey all!" he said cheerfully. "We've got a few songs planned for tonight, so we hope you enjoy!"

With that, they began playing softly and slowly getting louder, then Erza set the beat as the boy strummed away. Natsu got close to the mic and began to sing.

_I'm a few drinks in, but that ain't the reason_

_I'm all tongue tied and my breath's leaving this fast_

_I can't get past those blue eyes shining_

_They keep drawing me in to you_

_Got me fallin' off track_

_You get me like that_

_Yeah I'm hangin' on, hangin' on_

_To every word you say_

_Every move you make_

_I'm hangin' on, hangin' on_

_Wondering what's up next_

_Girl, I can't wait_

_Ain't nothing like spinning you around the room_

_Where everyone can see_

_You hangin' on, hangin' on to me_

_It ain't the song, and it ain't the playlist_

_It's every smile coming off of your sweet lips, yeah_

_That makes me wanna stay here_

_No, this ain't a one night, one time thing_

_You always light me up like a flame and it's clear_

_Every time you're near_

_Yeah I'm hangin' on, hangin' on_

_To every word you say_

_Every move you make_

_I'm hangin' on, hangin' on_

_Wondering what's up next_

_Girl, I can't wait_

_Ain't nothing like spinning you around the room_

_Where everyone can see_

_You hangin' on, hangin' on to me_

_Yeah, you hangin' on to me_

_So let me pull you a little closer_

_Even when the music's over_

_I'll be hangin' on, hangin' on_

_To every word you say_

_Every move you make_

_I'm hangin' on, hangin' on_

_Wondering what's up next_

_Girl, I can't wait_

_Ain't nothing like spinning you around the room_

_Where everyone can see_

_You hangin' on, hangin' on to me_

_Yeah, you hangin' on to me_

Somewhere along the first time the chorus was being sung, a bunch of people began clapping as the four joined in harmony. Eventually people began to join in until the whole building was filled with music and clapping. Lucy found herself smiling again as she watched her friends continue singing another song: _Love Someone_ by Brett Eldridge.

_Oh baby, would you look right there_

_The way the sun is hitting your hair_

_The way the world just stopped right here_

_In mid-air, I don't ever wanna move_

_You put the cool in the breeze_

_You put the weak here in my knees_

_You put me right where I'm supposed to be_

_In your blue-eyed sea_

_And I wanna sail away_

_'Cause when I wake up in the middle of the night_

_You're holding me so tight_

_Take whole of me, my oh my_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_When you laugh at the way I dance_

_When you smile when you hold my hand_

_I look at you and I understand_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_You knock me out kiss by kiss_

_I need you baby, sip by sip_

_Sit back and let me drink you in_

_I'm falling to you_

_Over and over and over again_

_When I wake up in the middle of the night_

_You're holding me so tight_

_Take whole of me, my oh my_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_When you laugh at the way I dance_

_When you smile when you hold my hand_

_I look at you and I understand_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_Everywhere I want to go and_

_Everywhere I want to be at_

_Everywhere I've ever been_

_Everything I'll ever need_

_Is sitting right here next to me_

_When I wake up in the middle of the night_

_You're holding me so tight_

_Take whole of me, my oh my_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_When you laugh at the way I dance_

_When you smile when you hold my hand_

_I look at you and I understand_

_Sure feels good to love someone_

_Sure feels good_

The whole time, the four on stage had bright smiles on their faces. All four became stars that were radiating happiness and energy, and spreading it throughout the people around them. Recalling how their relationships with each other had been upon meeting all of them, once more she was elated to see them this happy in each others company. As they continued on singing, they spread to other genres. They played Irresistible by Fall Out Boy, a few pop songs, as well as a couple rock songs, which Natsu transitioned to a red electric guitar for. After playing around forty-five minutes worth of music, they called it a night, receiving a standing ovation. After receiving some help putting away the instruments and clearing the stage, the four joined them at the tables.

"Not bad." commented Levy, "It was almost like a real concert."

"Yeah." added the blonde, smiling at her friends. "And it seems that not only the crowd was having a good time."

Cana slammed her glass down and sighed loudly. Wiping her mouth with her forearm, she smirked. "Yeah, Gajeel," she said, "That's probably the most I've ever seen you smile."

The group burst out laugh as Gajeel's face lit up red. "S-So what!?"

"Yeah, it was a cute smile, Gajeel." giggle Levy, earning a nod and giggle from Juvia."

"Juvia agrees with Levy." she smiled. She then proceeded to scoot closer to Gray. "You were fantastic, Gray." she said, a small flush appearing on her pale cheeks as her blue eyes gazed at his.

"Well, uh, thanks." he said, scratching the back of his head. "But Natsu was the star her-"

He was cut off when Natsu smacked the noirette on the head. Gray glared at him.

"What the hell, man!?"

"Shut up, Gray!" Natsu growled. "I wasn't the only one up there singing, was I? Just take the compliment!"

"What if I don't want the glory?" he growled, butting his head against Natsu's.

"Then I'll force it down your throat, Popsicle!"

"Oh yeah, cinder breath?"

"Hell yeah!"

Next thing they knew, the two of them were brawling in the middle of the bar. Lucy and the other girls sighed and shook their heads. Thankfully, Erza was there to shut it down.

"BOYS!" she growled, standing up.

"Yes Ma'am!" they said, springing up at attention. Their faces looked as though their lives were being sucked right out of them as Erza put them both in choke holds.

"Be. Nice." she said firmly, letting them go and gasp for air as the rest of them laughed at the boys' misfortune. They sighed and began ordering food and drinks before they could leave. Upon watching the boys, mainly Natsu and Gajeel, scarf down their food, they paid each of their tabs and got up to leave, only to almost fall over. The ground began to shake violently and dishes began to break upon hitting the floor.

"EARTHQUAKE!" Someone screamed.

Jellal took action. "GET DOWN!" He yelled over their panicking classmates, and all the others in the building, as well as making sure everyone got down underneath the tables.

The sound of a large explosion in the distance alerted them to something being off. Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Erza, Gray, and Jellal suddenly tensed up, their eyes widening.

"This feeling…" muttered the scarlet haired girl, her face holding a shattered expression.

"What…. What is this… this power?" stammered Gray.

"What are you talking about, Gray?" asked a worried Juvia.

Natsu let a growl escape his lips as they formed a snarl. His eyes began to turn from their natural emerald, to their ruby red when he transformed. "There's people out there." He growled. "And their magic power is crazy strong."

Before they knew what was happening, the pinkette, along with the other five, dashed out the door as the shaking stopped. Lucy watched them leave, only wishing she could help. Suddenly, she felt weak, tired, and darkness began to wash over her sight. Her friends voices began to lessen as they tried to wake her, and as she drifted away into an unknown sleep.

* * *

_Lucy didn't know where she was. Everything was dark around her. Unable to hear, touch, smell, or use any other senses for that matter. As she drifted in that darkness, she snapped into focus, and internally gasped when she saw who was before her._

Zeref!_ she thought with fear. _

_He was smiling. They were in what appeared to be his office. The blinds were down on the windows behind him as he sat at his desk. His hands clasped and his chin resting upon them. He seemed rather… amused for some reason. He was smiling, which she hated to see him do. Anyone who kidnaps people and uses them in experiments like he did, didn't deserve to be able to smile like that. She felt her lips move to speak, but her voice never came. Neither did her words. Different ones, and ones from a person she didn't expect to hear, as well as regretted hearing in this situation._

_"Zeref. I'm glad you agreed to meet me."_

_"Of course, it's my pleasure." replied the noirette, extending his hands like a father, expecting to embrace his long, lost son. "Though it deeply surprised me. Yes it did. Especially after what's happened. Now, tell me what you want, Loke."_

* * *

Natsu ran down the street, he had to avoid frantically running pedestrians. He had his enhanced, red eyes scouting for the site of the attack, and his enhanced nose tracking down the source of this tremendous magic power.

He saw a few people he recognized, like some teachers running past him, earning him confused frightened facial expressions. Thankfully, he and the others had talked about bringing a change of clothes in case something like this happened, lest someone were to find out who he was.

He wore a sleeveless, gold trimmed, black waistcoat, which he had left open and untucked, exposing his chest, a gold trimmed, black cloth around his waist that reaches his knees, held by a leather brown belt with an oval-shaped silver buckle, white knee-length trousers with black ribbon ties, a thick black wristband on his left wrist, black open-toed sandals. Upon the advice of Igneel, he donned these clothes, wondering if he looked stupid or not.

Jellal had brought a navy blue aviator trench coat, that had gray fuzz at the top, which Natsu found ridiculous, as well as a black long sleeve t-shirt and matching black pants, running with black Nike's. Erza had donned her 'Heaven's Wheel' armor as they'd seen before, and Laxus brought a purple shirt, and beige pants, wearing black combat boots to top it off. Gajeel went with a dark blue trench coat, which had its tail reaching down to his upper calves, a green short-sleeved shirt worn under it, beige pants which were similar to Laxus', studded boots, gloves, belt and wristbands. Hell, he looked like a steel girder that was dressed up, and then bolted.

Gray had on a white trench coat with blue trim, with a black, long sleeve t-shirt underneath. With grey pants and some black Adidas sneakers on. Half of his body was covered with that black tattoo he'd received with his magic. Ever since his second encounter with Zeref, when he was told about their magic, he'd wondered why Gray was given Ice Demon Slayer specific magic, as opposed to normal Ice magic. He did remember Zeref talking about 'Demons', but he didn't really take him seriously when he mentioned it. But by reminding himself they were able to use magic, the idea of demons becoming real, didn't seem so fictional afterall.

He shook his head to snap himself out of it._ Right now I need to focus._ He thought. He continued following the scent, until he came upon something unsettling. The others stopped beside him, each sharing looks of disbelief.

"What the hell?" Natsu yelled.

Before them was a gigantic crater in the ground. Crumbling buildings seemed to be sinking across what seemed to be a half a mile in diameter. In the center of the crater stood a solid pillar of stone and concrete. On top of the pillar stood there was a group of six people: a tall, tan man with a green robe, holding a staff with a skull on it; a man with red hair and pointed ears; a woman in a white bikini and coat; a man with goggles and spiky hair; and a tall, large man with orange hair who was holding a book; and one sitting cross-legged on a floating carpet, seemingly asleep.

All of them looked rather intimidating in their own way, but Natsu was sure of one thing.

_These are the guys._ He thought, narrowing his eyes. _They're the ones that this power is coming from._

"Greetings, fools." said the tan man, smirking. "You will be given the pleasure of being set free by us: Oracion Seis!"

The man pointed his staff at them and a bright green light formed, and it was rather large.

Natsu deadpanned. "Well, shit."

* * *

Well, there you have it!

It took a while but that's chapter 9! And before anyone mentions that in chapter 8, Zeref had already left his office, there's an explanation ofc. Can't have things just thrown together for no reason and have plot holes, now can we? There is more than one explanation and everything will be revealed soon!

To get alerts to updates on THIS STORY, Follow it ofc :P

IF you want updates to ALL CONTENT, displayed on my profile, feel free to follow me! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- Hanging On by Chris Young

\- Love Someone by Brett Eldridge

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Subject Group: O.S.(will be described separately later ofc)

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	10. Ch10 - Street Fights: Fantasy Style

HELLO MY FRIENDS! XD

It's your boy back at it again with another chapter for A Light in the Dark!

In the last chapter, Lucy slips into unconsciousness and sees Loke with Zeref! Why the hell is that situation in existence!? Also, our six magical heroes have just encountered Oracion Seis, and now are in harms way! What will happen? Can they beat them? That AND MORE in THIS chapter!

DISCLAIMER! I might have overdone introducing some stuff sooooo pls forgive me but the confusion is supposed to resemble that of the characters.

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

Dodging a large ball of magic seemed like a good idea, at least at the moment. But as Natsu and the others jumped out of the way, he instantly realized their mistake.

There were still masses of people swarming to get away from the extra-large pothole that had been created, and that green orb was going to hit some very unfortunate citizens if nothing was done. Natsu weighed his options quickly, but was beaten to the punch when a roar of thunder crashed through the city.

In a literal flash, Natsu watched his buff blond friend intercepted the orb single handedly, batting it up into the air with his fist. It exploded after a short ascent. All the while, his face holding a firm and intense stare, directed at the man with the staff.

"Impressive." remarked the man, eyebrows rising in surprise. "If I may be straight forward, I thought any one of you would be killed instantly with that.

Upon hearing that Laxus grunted. "Thanks. I think I'll take that as a compliment." He said through gritted teeth.

"Just who are you guys?" growled Natsu, who'd grown annoyed.

"Didn't I just say our name?"

"Well…" Natsu muttered, scratching the back of his head. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Jesus, Natsu," grumbled the noirette to his right. "He said their group name was Oracion Seis, whatever the hell that means."

"Does it really matter?" yelled Erza, glaring at them.

Natsu and Gray both shivered and shook their heads furiously. "No ma'am!"

"Now, with that settled," said Jellal, who stood beside the scarlet haired girl, "If I'm not mistaken, you said we're going to be 'freed' by you?"

"Yes, you did hear me correctly, young man." he said. "Freed from the reality that says you're free to do what you wish, when it simply is not possible."

"Huh?" Natsu grunted. He wasn't sure what this guy was on about.

"What he said." Gray said in agreement.

"It's simple really." Answered the man. But before he could continue, Natsu had had enough. He jumped at them, reaching them with ease. He smirked to himself.

_Looks like I got 'em-_

It only felt like a split second from when he was about to land a hit, but he then felt a heavy hit to his head, sending him flying into the side of the crater. He rubbed his head as he tried to stand, wide eyed at what just happened. The one with the goggles had moved. Now staring down at him, smirking.

"Too slow." he chuckled, cracking his knuckles.

_How? _Thought the pinkette,_ I didn't even see him move!_

Meanwhile, the others seemed to be having problems of their own. He watched as the crater's edge closest to Laxus and Gray began to collapse. It moved in almost a liquid fashion down the slope towards the center of the pit. Thankfully the two jumped backwards before they could be dragged in.

That was until they were caught from behind.

The liquid ground pulled them into the pit as they squirmed and tried to free themselves.

"Shit!" yelled Gray, "What the hell is this stuff!?"

"It's my magic, oh yeah!" said the large man with orange hair with a smile. "It's called: **Liquid Ground**. Quite useful, don't you think? "

"Not on us!" growled Laxus. He attempted to shock the liquefied ground, creating a cloud of dirt.

"Boy, did you not pay attention in class?" laughed the lady in the bunch. She smirked evilly, looking down upon them. "Lighting will not-"

Suddenly, the ground around Laxus stopped moving, turning into a glass-like substance. He smirked as her face shifted to one of surprise.

"Looks like you're the one who didn't pay attention, lady." He easily broke the glass and disappeared in a flash. Gray, however, was still stuck in his section of liquid ground.

"Hey! What about me!?" he yelled in annoyance.

Laxus appeared behind them, but was batted away by none other than the man in the goggles. This left the six friends shocked.

"How is that even possible?" murmured Jellal.

"Lets see him beat this then!" growled Gray as a chill swept over the area, and the ground seemed to harden. He smirked and broke out of his prison. He charged them with an attack, firing what appeared to be a beam of ice directly at the group.

In a flash of light, the woman pulled out what appeared to be a small key and another woman appeared before them. A pink cloud was now frozen in between the utterly confused Gray and the Oracion Seis.

The newcomer looked rather scared and slightly shaking. Her pink hair, ram horns, and woolly outfit confusing everyone around them.

"Is that cosplay?" Asked Natsu.

"No, she's a Celestial Spirit!" the white donned woman shot back. "That's some of my magic: **Celestial Spirit Magic**. It allows me to call on certain spirits from the heavens." she said proudly.

"I'm s-sorry." said the celestial spirit, cowering as if she were scared. "M-my name is Aries."

"Like the constellation?" murmured Jellal, frowning. This earned a nod from the spirit.

"Now, why don't we continue with this fight?" said the red haired man. He was wearing a black t-shirt and red pants. He also donned a white trench coat with a black brace over his left bicep, a red jewel in its center glimmering in the sunlight. He grinned as if he were a lion, about to pounce on his prey. He leapt into the air, headed straight for Erza and Jellal. The former pushed the latter out of the way and glowed. Her armor changed into a rather strange looking one.

A pair of leopard ears and an armored leopard printed breastplate, which was rather revealing. Around her neck sat a furry collar. A matching vambrace appeared on her left forearm, as well as a shoulder pad bearing the same pattern on that shoulder. A long dark sleeve covered both arms, lying beneath the vambrace, from her wrists to her biceps. The same could be said for her legs, with the left side bearing more armor. In her hands, she wielded two short swords with hilts resembling a rose's thorns.

She slashed at her attacker, who somehow was already out of the way of her attack. Her eyes widened as he closed the distance in a flash. She only had time to cross her swords and block his incoming attack. He struck at her defense with his bare hands and pushed her back a distance. She was about to attack him, but was hit from the side. Natsu's eyes widened to see a large purple serpent hiss at the scarlet haired warrior and slither towards her. Jellal attempted to intercept the beast, only to be stopped by the man in the goggles.

"You're slow as well." he smirked. Jellal just grunted as a glowing yellow aura surrounded him. "**Meteor**!" he yelled as he launched himself at the man. His opponent smirked and disappeared, only to show up behind him. But before he could do anything, Jellal smirked and shot off towards the red haired man and the snake.

_You're mine!_ He thought as he sped towards them. His plan went down the drain as soon as he saw his target turn and smirk, having already stepped aside and avoiding Jellal's attack. As he passed him, he heard him speak.

"I heard your plan loud and clear."

Jellal sped up and floated in the air, staring at the man in shock. "H-How did you know it was a feint!?"

"Didn't you hear _me_?" he said, "I heard exactly what you were going to do."

"But I-"

Before he could finish, he was blasted with a turquoise ray of energy. The rest watched as he was sent crashing into a building. Natsu followed the attack back to the woman, who had another key in her hand. She was smirking with a small robot floating in front of her beside Aries. It seemed to have a small cannon stick out from it.

"Thank you, Caelum," she said, "Now, go finish him off please."

It beeped and began to float over towards where Jellal had crashed.

"Oh no you don't!" growled Erza going to help their friend. However, the man with the red hair grabbed her and the snake lunged to bite. She broke from the man's grasp, but unfortunately, wasn't able to completely avoid the fangs of the purple beast.

"AAHHH!" she screamed in pain as the fang sunk into her left bicep.

At that point, Natsu didn't care what happened to him. He lunged for the beast and pried its fang from her arm. A bloody hole was left, but thankfully it hadn't gone all the way through.

"You scaly fucker!" he growled and attempted to punch the beast, but it and it's master were moved well away from them, back with the rest of their crew. He cursed under his breath as Gray and Laxus joined him. Gajeel, somehow, had disappeared from sight, but Natsu could still sense him. Suddenly, said noirette jumped off the building closest to the crater's edge, and with let out his war cry.

"Fuck you!" he growled as his steel scale covered arm shifted into a long sword, and he spiraled down towards the group. Natsu smirked. _He just had to go for the long shot, didn't he?_

Unfortunately, Gajeel's efforts were shot down, literally. In another turquoise blast, he was sent flying into the pavement below.

"Well, that was fun." yawed the red haired man. The man on the carpet just snored as the bells on his hair jingled in the wind.

"You've fought valiantly, but for naught." said the man with the staff with a wide grin on his face.

"You work for Zeref, don't you!?" yelled Natsu as he charged them head on.

"Pft! Don't make me laugh!" he scoffed. "We work for ourselves! That fool doesn't have anything on us to make us work for him! While he desires us to slave for his purposes, we desire our freedom! And no one shall stand in our way!" He swatted Natsu away with his staff.

"What the hell do you mean by 'freedom'?" Gray chimed in.

The man smirked. "We seek an ancient magic that you children couldn't begin to comprehend! Farewell, and pray we never cross paths again!" He raised his staff, releasing a blinding light. When it died down, they had disappeared.

"HUUUH!?" gasped Natsu, "Where'd they go!?"

"Probably some teleportation magic of some kind." said a familiar voice. Jellal had come down, although he was limping. Gajeel came over and cracked his back. They all looked the worse for wear. Scratches, bruises, and blood seemed to dance across their body like paint on a canvas, forming a greausem seen. Out of the six, Erza seemed to be faring the worst. She sat up against a parked, and now half demolished, car, the skin of her bicep turning a sickly green color. She was gripping it tightly, pain shown upon her face.

"Damn it!" cursed Jellal. He obviously was blaming himself for it. Laxus picked her up gently as the sounds of sirens grew near.

"I hate to cut this pity party," he grunted, "But we got company." he said. Natsu hated to not pursue the strange group, but even he knew it would be a waste.

The group ran into a nearby alley as the sirens got louder, and made their way back to the bar where the rest of their friends had been waiting. They'd gone in the back way, as to not arouse suspicion, and to put their normal clothes back on. Upon entering the main room, they saw their friends gathered around a still unconscious Lucy. They quickly made their way in, although, there wasn't much room to gather round. Natsu gently held the blonde's head and turned to Levy.

"What the hell happened to her!?" he asked.

"I don't know!" She replied, worry spread all over her face. "She just… collapsed."

"Easy, Shrimp." said Gajeel, putting a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be fine."

_I hope so._ Thought the pinkette, as he turned back to the blonde. _Lucy, please wake up!_

* * *

_It was unbelievable. She just didn't understand what she was seeing or why. Is this where Loke had been? It didn't make sense! Why would he be with Zeref after what the others went through? From seeing through his eyes, he moved to sit in front of the man she loathed. Two other men were visible in the room, one on each side of the madman. To Zeref's right stood a man with light blue hair, glasses, and a multi-blue coat. On his left, an elederly man with a purple coat with long gray hair, and a matching beard. Each looked quite intimidating. She was scared, and yet she did not feel fear at the same time. Loke seemed to not fear these people, or at least as much as she did._

_"So, what did you wish to speak with me about?" asked the noirette, curious to Loke's intent._

_"It's quite simple, though I have more than one thing I wish to talk about." Loke responded._

_"Yes, yes, I figured as much." Zeref sighed. "But what interests me is why you would mingle with the humans you call 'friends'."_

_Lucy could feel Loke tense up. He was obviously distressed. Though she could feel his emotions, she couldn't tell what he was thinking._

_"W-What are you talking about?"_

_"No need to play dumb. I know who you truly are." smirked Zeref. He seemed like a child, prodding his best friend on who their crush was. "**Leo.**"_

_This had the blonde, utterly confused. _What did he just call him?_ She thought._

_"How-"_

_"I could tell the moment I met you." the man replied. "Besides. You can't hide your magic power from everyone, including me and Acnologia."_

_Loke sighed. "Seems like I need to be more careful around people I know next to nothing about." he said. "So, you figured me out. What are you going to do? Blab to just any old Joe on the street?"_

_"Dear me, of course not!" said Zeref, shaking his head. "That wouldn't be any fun, now would it? Besides, I wouldn't want to reveal the King of the Zodiac to complete strangers. Especially in your current state." _

_Loke seemed uneasy, giving her a bad feeling. But calling him by the name Leo? Referring to him as the King of the Zodiac? This was too confusing for her at the moment. She still hadn't wrapped her mind around Loke meeting with Zeref. Especially by his own volition._

_"I assume it has to do with those, 'friends', you have." he said. "Now, go on. I shouldn't waste any more of your time, or mine for that matter. I am a busy man after all."_

Rude!_ She thought angrily. The blonde already wanted to strangle him, but this was taking it to a new level for her._

_"I want you to leave Lucy out of whatever you have planned." Loke finally said. And he did so with conviction. He stared at the man dead in the eyes._

_The man in black frowned. "Whatever do you m-Oh! You mean the blonde girl!" he said, realizing. "May I ask why? Well, I do have a couple ideas as to your reason for wanting me to leave her alone…"_

_"Just leave her out of it."_

_"Infatuation perhaps?" he said, making Lucy feel uncomfortable._

_"Are you listening?"_

_"No. Perha-"_

_"**Shut up!**" growled the orange headed boy, now standing up. The room seemed to shake, and the two others in the room seemed ready to kill him._

_"I was joking." sighted Zeref unphased. He waved the other two off as he motioned for Loke to sit back down. "I already know the exact reason. You're concerned about her natural magic power, aren't you?"_

_Loke moved so fast, he had a fist right in front of Zeref's face, and it was glowing. The man in blue had a blade of what seemed like ice in his hand aimed at Loke's throat. The other revealed a dark wooden staff with a large, purple gemstone at its top, and was pressing it against Loke's chest. Lucy didn't know what was happening now._

_"**How did you know that?**" growled Loke. She could feel the ferocity in his voice and knew he wasn't going to take any answer Zeref gave lightly._

_"Relax, Leo. August, and Invel, you too." warned the man. His obsidian eyes pierced through each of those he'd named. As they settled back to where they were, Zeref began to speak again._

_"As for how I knew, Acnologia identified it, before he defected that is." he sighed. "But the way he described it was…. Lets just say, unusual."_

_"How so?" Loke grumbled._

_"He said it felt as though a powerful source of magic, which I assume to be her natural magic, was sealed, or hidden. Although he got a faint feeling from it, he said it felt powerful." he said._

_Loke looked downwards. "It can't be." he mused to himself. The blonde could feel him trembling slightly._

_"I believe she may be the one in _The Prophecy_." Loke's head shot up to look at Zeref who had a serious expression on his face._

_"_The Prophecy_?" Loke gasped. "How did you-"_

_"I have my ways." Zeref said. "Now onto another thing. About **Natsu**." She could feel Loke shivering as her vision of the event began to fade._

No! Not now!_ She cried in vain as she felt herself waking. _What _about_ Natsu!?

_It all faded to darkness._

* * *

When she woke, it took a couple seconds for her vision to adjust.

_Is that… pink hair?_ She thought as her vision cleared. Eventually, that pink hair had a matching face. And a relieved one at that. She tried to sit up, until she was pulled into a tight group hug by Natsu, Levy, Erza, and a few others.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Lu!" cried the short bluenette. Lucy smiled and hugged her friend.

"Don't worry, Lev." she replied. "I'm fine, see?"

"Are you sure?" asked a concerned looking Natsu. She nodded and smiled

"Yeah, he was worried beyond belief, Bunny Girl." chirped Gajeel. He was smirking. "He looked like he was about to cry."

"I-I was not!" stammered Natsu in protest. "I was just worried!"

"Hence why I said you looked like you were gonna cry, Pinky!"

"Shut up, Metal Head!"

"He's right, Flame Brain." teased Gray.

"Fuck you, Pervy Popsicle!"

"Who you callin' a Pervy Popsicle?"

"Your clothes, Gray." sighed Cana.

"Fuck!"

"Boys!" Erza warned.

The three boys all saluted in fear. "Yes Ma'am!"

Lucy sighed with a smile. It was good to see them acting normal. Wait…

"Oh my gosh, Erza! You're arm!" She'd just noticed the green blotch on the scarlet haired girls arm.

"O-Oh, this?" she stammered. "I-It's nothi-"

"Like hell it is!" yelled Jellal, surprising everyone. "You've been poisoned! It needs to be treated, and quickly!"

As if any further confirmation was needed, Erza collapsed. Luckily, Jellal was there to catch her. She was breathing heavily.

"C-Cloth…" she groaned.

"What?" asked Jellal.

"G-Give me a cloth."

Mira handed her a towel from behind the bar. Erza took it and quickly wrapped it around her arm, just above the affected area, to slow down the spread of the poison.

"I'll be fine. Things can't get any worse, right?" she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lucy suddenly felt a shiver down her spine, recalling the events she witnessed.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked worried, "Are you alright?"

"Well…." she started.

"Go on, Lucy." Erza insisted. "What's wrong?"

"I know where Loke's been."

Surprised crossed the faces of all her friends. "Really? That's great!" said Gray, a smile quickly coming to his lips. "Where is he?"

"You're not going to like where he's been." she said, worried about telling them.

"It couldn't possibly be that bad, Luce." Natsu said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, worry showing in her eyes.

"It is." she replied. "He was with Zeref."

"..."

"..."

"...**WHAAAAAAT!?**"

"I knew you all would react that way." she said sadly.

"Why the hell was Playboy with that douche!?" growled Natsu.

"From what I could tell…"

"You _saw_ them?" gasped Levy.

"That can't be right." Cana said. "Doesn't make any sense.

"Maybe he struck a deal with Zeref?" said Juvia wondered aloud.

"Yeah. He knows what happened to you all." Elfman said, gesturing to the six. "And besides. Siding with the enemy and turning on your friends isn't manly at all. There's no way he'd do that."

"I agree with Elfman." said Gray. "There's no way Loke would do that!"

"I-I know." Lucy said.

"So then what was he doing?" Natsu asked. He seemed to suspect something was off.

"Well, it's kind of hard to describe..."

"First, we should have Makarov and Igneel check you and Erza out." said Natsu. The group looked at him as if he grew two more heads.

"Why me?" the blonde asked surprised.

"I dunno." he said. "I just have a bad feeling about this. Besides, they know more than we do about this magic we and those guys have.

"And you should take us to them as well," said a man's voice. They all whipped around to see two groups of people standing at the entrance to the bar. A short man with orange hair, and a strange looking face, followed by three younger men was on one side. They looked as if they were some random fashion folk out on a stroll. The other group consisted of a tall, bald man, a younger woman with pink hair, and a younger man with white hair, matching coat, and a stare that led directly to Grey.

Said noirette stared right back at the newcomer.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Grey sighed.

"Hello, Grey." the man said.

"Grey, who's that?" asked Juvia for all who were wondering in the room.

"That's my brother. Lyon Vastia." he said. "He's my Foster brother, and blames me for our mother's death."

"Am I wrong?" glared Lyon.

Grey didn't answer. He just kept his gaze fixed on his so called brother. All of them were shocked, but that piece of news had Lucy and Natsu doing a double take.

"...**HUUH!?**"

* * *

Again, sorry if I overdid it! I wrote this chapter in the spur of the moment(on multiple occasions XP ) so please don't be mad at meee!

Just to recap, we've just seen some of Oracoin Seis's power, and they trashed team Natsu, BADLY. Erza has been poisoned, and Lucy just revealed that Loke had been talking to Zeref. How will the react in full to the whole story? And it seems some newcomers are here, but will they help, or hinder our heroes in this crisis? All will be thoroughly explained, especially the characters and plot details(if you need any confirmation, pm me and I will explain(only up until I feel that it wont spoil certain things yet to come). Also, there is still more of her vision of Loke and Zeref, so look forward to that! :D

Now, can anyone guess what Oracion Seis is looking for? Hmmmm... I know what it is, and all who DO know, don't spoil! ;P

To get alerts to updates on THIS STORY, Follow it ofc :P

IF you want updates to ALL CONTENT, displayed on my profile, feel free to follow me! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- Oracion Seis(More Later)

\- Lyon Vastia: 21

\- Unknown visitors(More Later)

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	11. Ch11 - Pegasi, Lamiae, and Magic History

Hey all! :3

I do apologize if the last chapter introduced a bit much, so to make up for that, this next chapter will clear a few things up, as well as introduce facts about characters and some "history" as the title implies lol.

I was a little "type happy" as I feel it should be called. Or maybe, "writing happy"? i don't really know. XD Someone pm me with what it's actually called pls!

As for our chapter today, lets just see how our heroes handle the oncoming situation brought to them by none other than... DA DA DA DAAAA! LYON! How will he and Gray's reunion play out? Why is these newcomers here? READ TO FIND OUT! :P

Anywho, lets get on with the chapter! :P

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

"Wait, how can he blame you for your mother's death!?" Lucy gasped. "She died of cancer!"

"Well, she did have cancer, and was 'supposed' to die a week earlier."

"What are you talking about, Lyon!?" Gray growled, getting in his brother's face. "She died of that tumor! Remember!?"

"No, she didn't. And I know why you don't tell anyone how she really died." Lyon shot back, though he kept his composure while doing so. "However, that's not the reason we came here."

"Oh yeah?" Natsu said, finally speaking up, "So why are you here?"

The short orange haired man struck a strange pose. "It's because of the Oracion Seis." He said, "They pose a threat to humanity as a whole, and we cannot let that slide. Meeen."

"I-Ichiya!?" a voice squeaked. They all turned to see Erza, in her rarest form. She was shivering and wide eyed, staring at the man as if he were a leper. He shuffled very quickly and began sniffing around her in a strange fashion.

"Your perfume is as delicious as eve-

"EEE!" she squealed and landed a solid kick on him, sending him flying into the wall. She then proceeded to hide behind Jellal. All in the room stared in shock.

"Erza is…" Natsu began.

Gray picked up where he left off. "Scared?"

They looked at each other in disbelief.

"Ichiya, Sir!" cried the young men who'd entered with the man. They immediately rushed to his aid.

"Are you alright?" they asked.

"Of c-course." he said wiping himself off. The impact had left a hole in the wall, and dust covered the now minorly injured Ichiya. "Do not fear."

"O-Of course sir!" they said. Then, all four of them struck poses, officially confusing everyone in the room. "Now," Ichiya began, "Let us continue what we were talking about."

"Which was?" Laxus asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Excuse me if I may," spoke the bald man. He had a hard expression, though it showed no hostility. He wore no shit and seemed to be wearing what resembles an ancient Egyptian or Mayan. "But we request you take us with you to Makarov and Igneel, considering we have some things we'd like to discuss with them." he said rather politely.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." said Natsu, snapping back to reality. "And besides, how do you know my dad?"

"You're Igneel's son?" the bald man exclaimed.

"You bet!"

"I don't see any resemblance." Said one of the three with Ichiya. He was the shortest of the three, with blond hair and dark green eyes.

"He's technically Igneel's nephew." Laxus chimed in.

"And who are you?" asked another of the three. He had the darkest complexion of the three. His dark brown hair combed but spiky, and brown eyes looking at Laxus, curious as to how he fit in to their conversation.

"I just so happen to be that old geezer, Makarov's, grandson." He said.

"Well, isn't this a surprise." said the third and final of the three. His dark blond hair's style was similar to Loke's, except longer and, somehow, more well cared for. He seemed quite sincere when he spoke. "Well it truly makes sense with that magic power you're radiating. And the same goes for you," he referred to Natsu, "What was your name again?"

"Natsu."

"Your last name?"

"What's it matter?" Natsu said. When Lucy read his expression, he showed himself to be suspicious of something.

"Good point. Anyway, My name is Hibiki Lates." he said, bowing slightly. "You've already met Eve Teram," he said gesturing to the short blond who bowed, "Ren Akatsuki," the other bowed, "And of course, our leader, Sir Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki."

Ichiya struck another pose. "Meeen. We are ..." The lights flickered out.

"HEY!" growled Natsu.

Somehow, the spotlights for the stage shone on the four, all in their own poses.

"The Trimens of Blue Pegasus!" Ichiya finished. "Meeeen."

"Ehhhh… okay?" said Gray.

"As long as we are introducing ourselves," spoke the bald man, "My name is Jura Neekis. This," he said referring to the lady beside him and Lyon, "Is Sherry Blendy." he said. She smiled and put a hand on her hip, waving. "You've already been introduced to Lyon." he said, gesturing to Gray's white haired foster brother. "We come from Lamia Scale."

"Question." Piped up Cana. "What the hell are Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus?" The others nodded in agreement.

"They didn't tell you?" Jura questioned?

"Uhhh, duuuh." Cana retorted.

"Please excuse her, she'd probably drunk again." apologize Mira.

"Noo waayy, *hic* Nver miind, I am." she giggled, the smell of alcohol obviously coming from her.

"Ummm, is she old enough to-"

"ANYWAY!" Jellal said, quickly cutting Jura off. "You said you wanted to talk to Makarov. What for?"

"Yeah!" Natsu barked, "And how do you know Igneel?"

"That's… a long story." Jura sighed. "One they'd be better off explaining to you instead of us."

"Indeed." Ichiya added. "But we must speak with them. We have urgent news."

"Then let's hear it, shall we?" said a familiar, gruff voice. Everyone turned to the door to find Igneel, Makarov, and a elderly woman with pink hair standing at its entrance.

"M-Makarov! Igneel! And even Porlyusica!" exclaimed Jura. He bowed to the three of them.

"Now, now. No need to bow, Jura." Makarov said, waving his hand at the man.

"O-Of course."

Lucy was amazed that they were here. But yet she figured as much.

Makarov turned to Lucy and the rest. "I'm not sure you all were aware of this," he said, "But we've been here ever since Lucy woke up."

"Wait, really?" Lucy gasped.

Igneel nodded, a concerned look on his face. "Hearing that about Loke," he said, "makes me feel uneasy."

The pink haired woman spoke up. "What we heard is not the whole story, now is it?" she said, glaring at her. The look she was giving made Lucy shiver, causing Natsu to stand in front of her.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled.

"Natsu!" Igneel warned. "Settle down."

"Not when she just threatened my friend!"

"Boy! The only thing threatening her is her own secrecy!" growled Porlyusica.

"What are you-"

"I could feel her uneasiness from a mile away!" she scoffed. "Clearly what she saw shocked her, so she thinks it would be best if she stayed silent.

"But I-" she started.

"No buts, young lady!" she said. Now, Porlyusica seemed worried. She kneeled down right in front of her. "Dear, I do apologize for scaring you, but you must understand. Nothing is simple or normal anymore. Not if you're dealing with Zeref and his madness." she said. "Do you understand?"

Lucy slowly nodded. "Fine, I'll tell you what I saw."

* * *

After Lucy finished explaining, there was a mix of reactions.

"Leo?" Gray wondered. "Leader of the Zodiac?"

"What the hell does that mean?" Natsu spat.

"How should I know, Ash for Brains?"

"He's our friend, Popsicle!"

"If that's how it works, then you should know, shouldn't you, Flametard?"

"Well, I don't, Frosty!"

The two butted heads until Erza separated them by smashing their heads together.

"So, Loke is really Leo." murmured Makarov, rubbing his chin. "Strange."

"And could they have been referring to _The Prophecy_?" Porlyusica wondered.

"It seems so." Igneel nodded. "That makes me fear the worst. I'll tell Metalicana to gather the rest."

"Umm, excuse me?" Levy piped up. "What is T_he Prophecy_?"

The elders of the group, including Ichiya and Jura looked amongst themselves.

"It is said that thousands of years ago, magic was abundant among the people of the world. Natural magic that people were born with, and could learn with ease. Multitudes of magical creatures and types of magic existed. Including demons." he said, looking towards Gray.

"There was a wizard among those who created those demons, though no one is completely sure why. He was said to be extremely powerful and was feared throughout the land. Some, of two factions that existed in his support, believed he was some sort of deity. One faction sought to kill in his name, claiming he was the destroyer of all, the one who would cleanse the world of all life, and supported him in that way. The other, however, believed he was actually kind, but cursed. They believed he was immortal and created those demons to kill himself, as he could not age or die. The story varies in different ways, but it always refers to one demon in particular. Those of his destructive cult and those who feared the wizard, say he was the strongest of those created by him. That other faction, believed that demon was one of natural creation, rivaling the wizard in terms of strength. His power was overwhelming and he was sealed away by the wizard, never to be released. But in the process of sealing the demon, he lost his life."

"Woah." Natsu muttered. "What happened to the demon?"

"It was said to be sealed in a book, just like those that the wizard had created. The books he'd made had been scattered, since they were sealed with a magic that protected them. They say that was the demon's doing. His book was lost to history, as was magic as humans began to develop technology." Makarov replied. "We are a part of an alliance of magic users, both artificial and natural, bent on stopping Zeref and the demon from having their ways."

"What does Zeref have to do with the de- Oh shit!" Natsu said, realizing what Zeref told them.

Igneel whacked him on the head. "Language, boy!"

Natsu rubbed his head as he explained to the groups what happened.

"So, then that confirms our suspicions." Porlyusica said. "But we have no way of knowing if he's found that book.

"What's it look like?" asked Gray.

Igneel's face grew to one of anger and strangely, one also of fear. Makarov and the others from Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus shared their look. He spoke, though his voice slightly shaky.

"The book itself is old, yet believed to be largely untouched by time. A few marks or tears on the cover. It is a maroon leather cover with golden trim, bearing the demon's very name upon its front in big black letters." he said. "The name of the demon: E.N.D. or often referred to as END."

The air in the building felt cold and lifeless as soon as he said his name. An uneasy feeling came upon Natsu, Lucy, and the rest.

"END." Natsu growled. "Is he really that strong?"

"He's got the Magic Council and the rest of those who still use magic on their toes, and now we at least can tell them Zeref has demons for sure." Porlyusica said.

The rest of the adults nodded in agreement.

"Now with that out of the way," said Makarov, "What was that news you wished to tell us? Does it have anything to do with today's attack?"

"Actually, yes." said Jura.

"We know exactly what the Orcaion Seis is after." Ichiya said, "And I'm afraid you're not going to like it. Hibiki, if you please?"

Hibiki bowed and placed his arms as if he were typing on a computer. Small screens surrounded by glowing orange lines began to pop out of thin air. They showed multiple files until one magnified to be what seemed like a dense forest. He began to speak as Natsu, Lucy, and co. gazed upon them in awe.

"This," he said, "is a patch of forest, quite a way from Magnolia that contains what they are looking for: Nirvana." he said. Makarov's and all those from his and Jura's groups' eyes widened.

"I-It can't be!" he exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, it is." Hibiki said, a worried look on his face. "From what we could gather, Nirvana is hidden somewhere amongst the forest in that area, presumably in a crater or natural dip in the landscape. We're not quite sure where, but do to its power, we'll know if we get close."

"What's Nirvana?" asked Mira.

"Nirvana is an ancient magic. Some say even older than the wizard I mentioned before, or possibly older than END himself, depending on the story." Makarov answered. "No one's quite sure what it does, but we do know that in the wrong hands, powerful magic could do immense damage." he turned back to Hibiki. "What do they plan to do with Nirvana?"

"That… we have no clue on." Hibiki admitted. "But our master dispatched us to talk to you in forming a small force to take them down." he said, turning to Ichiya who nodded in confirmation.

"Ours said the same." Lyon said, with Jura and Sherry nodding. "Though, we were told you knew. They sent a messenger."

"I assumed they were trying to pressure me into joining so I ignored them." sighed Makarov. "Anyway, is that all?"

"Well, they asked that you send some capable to join us in our assault." Jura explained.

"Well then." he said. "When do you plan to attack the Oracion Seis?"

"Three days from now. They haven't figured out it's relative location yet."

"Hmm. I'll h-"

"Wait, Gramps." Natsu said, cutting him off. "Let me join them."

This surprised the adults. "Natsu, you've bar-"

"I don't care!" he growled. "If there's a possibility of stopping them, and I can do something about it, like hell am I going to sit around and let it happen!"

"Same goes for me!" barked Gray.

"Don't forget about me! Gihi!" smirked Gajeel.

"Guy's!" Jellal said. "Let's think ab-"

"Jellal," Laxus said, "You're coming with us."

"Huh!?"

"We have to keep them in line for Erza." he said. "She'd be going if she wasn't poisoned, so let's do her a favor." With that Jellal sighed and nodded.

"I guess you're right."

"Speaking of poison," said Porlyusica as she helped Erza up. "She'll be coming with me until we can find someone or something to cure this." she said referring to the infected area.

"You kid's aren't thinking straight." said Igneel. "These are powerful mages who've had more experience than you in combat. That much I'm certain of."

"Then we'll learn about our opponents!" smirked Natsu. "And I'm guessing you can help us with that, right Hibiki?"

The dark blonde smiled and shook his head. "You're really something, Natsu." he chuckled.

"You can say that again." sighed Gray. Hibiki began going over their battle plan with the those who were going to fight. As they did so, Lucy watched her friends intently and , noticing her friend's distress, nudged her lightly.

"You alright, Lu?"

The blonde nodded. "Y-Yeah. Just a little worried I guess."

"Worried about Natsu?"

"Yeah. Wait! Well… y-yes, but for the others too, you know!" she stuttered, flustered.

Levy giggled at her friend's reaction, but then her face held one of sadness.

"Are _you_ okay, Lev?" Lucy asked.

The bluenette nodded. "It just kind of feels like… like they're preparing for war, you know?" she said sadly.

"Yeah." Lucy sighed. "I guess we just have to have faith in them." she said.

"Amen, sister." she sighed. The girls giggled for a little bit as they watched their friends studying their opponents with all their might. Igneel made his way over to them.

"Hey there," he said, "You two alright?"

They both nodded.

"Good," he said. "Lucy, there's something I… I have to tell you."

"W-What is it, Mr. Dragneel?"

"First off, no need to be formal. You can call me Igneel, or _dad_ if you want." he teased, causing the blonde to get flustered.

"W-What!?"

"But on a serious note," he said. "It's about your sister, Wendy."

Lucy began to get worried. "What about Wendy? Is she alright?"

"Of course!" he said, trying to calm her down. "Take it easy! It's just the way you described Zeref and Loke's conversation about your natural magic, I figured I tell you that Wendy has some too."

Lucy was stunned, and so was her bluenette friend.

"It also has to do with her 'mother'. Not yours, or but her real mother."

"Huh?"

"What I mean to say, is that Wendy's birth mother was like me and Metalicana. We were given dragon magic. She was known amongst our little society as The Sky Dragon. She was powerful, but kind." he said. It seemed as though he had feelings for her. "She was my wife, actually. Her name was Grandeeny."

"Wait, really?" Lucy gasped.

"Yes." he sighed. "Sadly, she's dead now, but her daughter, Wendy, was born two years before she was given her magic. We both didn't know that she'd end up being able to use magic because of this. Though it seems strange, she inherited her mother's sky dragon magic, or as Zeref might refer to it: Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. It's a different form, though we're not sure why, of our dragon magic. But the problem is, there is a cost."

"W-What is it?"

"The user will slowly begin to turn into a dragon, like we did."

Lucy couldn't believe it. This was unreal.

"But there is a solution. Though it was too late for us, we were able to switch from human to dragon form at will, so we made an antibody serum." he pulled out a vial of a clear liquid. "This was Grandneey's. She must ingest it soon before the dragonification process begins. I suggest you give it to her tonight."

Lucy nodded. It was up to her to protect her sister, and she was going to make sure nothing happened to her at all costs.

"But wait!" said Levy, "Wendy doesn't even know she has that magic!"

"Well, we're going to need her to."

"Why?" asked Lucy. "Aren't we trying to prevent her from being involved?"

"It's too late." he said, sadly. "As soon as she was born, she was destined to be involved. Besides. She's the only one who can save your friend, Erza, in time."

"What do you mean!?"

"That magic she has allows her to enchant, or support her comrades, or anything she desires, along with being a force to be reckoned with." he replied. "It also, in the severe possibility, has the ability to save someone from the brink of death."

"Why are you telling me this!?" Lucy asked, concerned for her sister's wellbeing.

"Because," he said with a sigh, "There are those who would use that power for evil. And Oracion Seis will be coming for her."

"What!? Why!?"

He hesitated to speak, but finally spit out the words.

"Because they're going to almost kill Jellal, to bring out the hidden side of him. The one that can activate Nirvana."

* * *

Natsu was trying his hardest to pay attention to what Hibiki was saying, but when he saw Igneel walk over to Lucy and Levy, he got anxious. But he figured he'd talk to them later. Right now, he needed to focus.

"First up, we have Soranno, aka, Angel," he said as a picture of the woman they fought before appeared, "She has multiple keys that allow her to access Celestial Spirits, which will fight for their master after they've made a contract with them. The one you all saw, Aries is special, as she is a part of the twelve Zodiac keys. This is called **Celestial Spirit Magic**."

"Interesting." said Laxus. "Going back to Loke being Leo, Leader of the Zodiac, she's from that?"

"Yes, that's correct." Hibiki nodded. He flipped the slide.

Next is Sawyer, aka, Racer," The picture showed the man in the goggles. "His magic is somewhat unknown, although we know it has something to do with speed. He can be one place, disappear, and show up somewhere else. It is not teleportation magic, however, considering no space has been manipulated."

"Hey! That's the dude with the goggles!" Natsu growled.

"Yes. It is, Natsu." Sighed Laxus. "Just calm down."

"Next is Eric, aka, Cobra." Hibiki said as a picture of the redheaded man showed up. "We're not sure what type of magic he uses, but he does have that rather large snake at his disposal, and he's strong to boot. We believe he can read minds, but we're not sure."

"Great." grumbled Jellal, remembering their encounter.

"This is Richard Buchanan, aka, Hoteye," Hibiki continued as the picture of the large man with orange hair came up. "He uses a type of earth magic, as you found out, called: **Liquid Ground**. It can liquefy practically any stone material and bends to his will." he said.

"That was utterly annoying." grunted Gray.

"Next is Macbeth, aka, Midnight." a picture of the guy on the floating carpet came up. "Were not sure about anything in regards to his powers, but we know he's strong.

"That's helpful." sighed Gajeel.

"Finally, we have their presumed leader, Brain." Hibiki said as the last member came up. It was the tall man with the staff.

"What's his real name?" Asked Jellal.

"We're not sure. We only know that he once worked with the Magic Council, until he went rogue and experimented on people. He'd originally joined after a part of those who escaped Zeref ten years ago. Reports said it was something to do with sealing magic. As for the magic he can use, well, he can use a lot. He was taught many types for around a year, until he went back to Zeref for an unknown reason after he went rogue. Until recently, we haven't heard anything about him.

"Wonderful. We get to thrash a traitor." commented the pinkette.

"There are more of us then there are of them, but they are strong. We must work together in order to take them down." Hibiki said.

"As for our ranks, I can use **Archive Magic**, as you've seen," he continued, "As well as **Telepathy**. So mainly I'll be keeping us on task and connecting us throughout the operation."

"Our leader," Ichiya stepped up as Hibiki kept explaining, "Uses **Perfume Magic**. He can use different abilities based on the perfume concoctions he makes.

"Meeen." Ichiya said striking a pose.

"Eve can use **Snow Magic**." Eve stepped forward and bowed. Gray raised an eyebrow at hearing he was able to use snow magic.

"And Ren can use **Air Magic**." At that, Ren too stepped forward and bowed.

"Jura," Lyon referred to said man, "**Can use Earth Magic**." Jura nodded.

"Sherry can use **Doll-Attack Magic**." Sherry nodded in confirmation.

"And you, Lyon?" Asked Gray, his eyes narrowed.

"I, Gray, use **Ice-Make Magic**." he said, narrowing his eyes at Gray.

"Wonderful." Gray sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Now, why don't you tell us what you can do?" Jura asked.

Natsu gave a mischievous grin, causing the others to feel uneasy.

"It'd be my pleasure."

* * *

Cut! That's a wrap!

All new character explained? CHECK.

Lucy's vision explained? Partial check.

Me about to take a break for a little while? HELL NO!

Lol, my mind's been buzzing and bothering me to write more so don't worry about me disappearing again lol. Turns out I can actually multitask :\ XD

Now, who's thinking the same thing I am about Wendy and Jellal? Personally, I'm working on what's going on there, especially with Jellal's "other personality" or whatever you wish to call it. For now, I am calling it his other self, and I think we know EXACTLY what THAT Jellal is like, SOOOOOOOO... yeah. XD

As far as the next chapter goes, we'll be getting a little bit of info on a certain someone, so look forward to it :D

To get alerts to updates on THIS STORY, Follow it ofc :P

IF you want updates to ALL CONTENT, displayed on my profile, feel free to follow me! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's ages in this chapter(SOME AGES DIFFER FROM ACTUAL!)

Lamia Scale:

\- Jura Neekis: 34

\- Lyon Vastia: 21

\- Sherry Blendy: 20

Blue Pegasus:

\- Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki: 36

\- Hibiki Lates: 22

\- Eve Tearm: 18

\- Ren Akatsuki: 22

Deceased:

\- Grandeeny(At time of death): 45

Oracion Seis:

\- Brain: 56

\- Eric/Cobra: 27

\- Sorano/Angel: 24

\- Richard/Hoteye: 37

\- Midnight/Macbeth: 24

\- Sawyer/Racer: 29

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	12. Ch12 - Gray's Resolve and The Prophecy

Hey y'all! :D

Hope y'all are doing well! And look what I have for you, A NEW CHAPTER! :P

I mentioned in the author's notes at the bottom of chapter 11 that we'd be getting a look into one of our character's minds, so as the title of this chapter says, I think we all know who now lol. Hope you enjoy it! :D

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles

* * *

_**Gray's Resolve and The Prophecy**_

Three days had passed since meeting the trio from Lamia Scale, and the quartet from Blue Pegasus, and now it was finally time to make a move. Especially since Hibiki came to them with news that Oracion Seis had descended onto the relative area the Nirvana was believed to be in. Thanks to training sessions with Makarov, Igneel, and the others, they felt more prepared than ever to take on the sinister six mages who threatened their home, along with the rest of the world. To their surprise, and to Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus' distress, the group found themselves on a boat. Not just any boat though. No, it could fly of course. It was the pride of Blue Pegasus, the Magic Bomber: _Christina_. It's main design consisted of a blue, white, and yellow pegasus, with powerful magic boosters in the feet and in the stern. It even came with wings. But the one thing it didn't come with, was anything to keep the three from feeling sick. Poor Natsu and the other two dragon slayers were hanging over the sides of the deck, puking their brains out while flying through the air.

"Whyyyy?" moaned the pinkette while he contemplated his misery.

Laxus was the first to try and stand without his stomach giving in.

"S-So," he said, trying to sound like he was fine, "How long until w-we reach our destination?" He asked Jura, who was pinching his nose.

"We should be there soon."

"How soooon-Hmg!" Laxus gave in and ran back to the edge.

Jura looked at his watch, and then the setting sun. "It's about 7:58, so around a couple more minutes."

"Thank fuuuuck!" groaned Gajeel.

Meanwhile, Gray and Jellal sighed from afar. The former turned to see his foster brother standing at the very front of _Christina_, staring into the horizon. Sherry seemed to be talking, but he didn't seem to be listening.

"Gray, can I ask you a question?" Jellal asked.

"You just did." Gray sighed.

"You know what I mean." The blue haired boy said. "It's about you and Lyon's foster mother."

"What's more to say about her?"

"Just that you can tell us what happened. We're your friends." Jellal reminded him.

Gray just nodded. But some things people just don't want to talk about. He glanced over at Natsu and the puke bunch. He then proceeded to gaze over _Christina_'s side. The view as they flew through the air was pretty cool the mountains and trees flying by, as well as the occasional birds which Gray tried to freeze, that is until Jellal made him stop. He wondered what Ur would have done upon seeing him like this. He laughed to himself. She'd definitely kill me for jumping into something like this. He found himself glancing at Lyon and something pulled at the strings of his heart.

"To be honest, I'm not as ignorant to magic as you all think."

"What?" Jellal said in surprise.

"While Ur did have a tumor, she wasn't due to die for another few months. Even if it got worse." Gray said.

"So you're saying…"

"Yeah." Gray finished it for him. "She was going to live a while longer. She fought hard, and some thought she might even beat the tumor she had within her."

"Huh."

"Back to me not being completely ignorant to magic though, it's because of her. And because of my birth parents death. Ur was a wizard, unlike Igneel and Makarov. She knew the risks of being one openly, so when she took us in, she trained us in secret."

"Wow." Jellal whispered.

"Yeah. She was an ice mage, who excelled and eventually was known to all wizards and mages as a master of **Ice-Make Magic**. That was what she taught us." he said, looking over at Lyon before he turned to face Jellal. "You know that habit of mine to strip?"

"Let me guess. You got it from her." Jellal sighed.

"Bingo." Gray said chuckling. "It's because we live way up north. We were always surrounded by ice and snow, knowing little to now actual springtime like you see here. The first time I saw her and Lyon do that, I flipped my lid. She had us do it to become resistant to the cold, which allowed our magic to grow more powerful since we were in tune with the element we'd be using. I guess that's what led Zeref to give me this." he said, activating the black skin. After he forced it into slumber, he continued.

"I had been born up north, just a long way westward. My village was destroyed, and my parents were killed by one of those demons Makarov mentioned. His name: Deliora." he said with spite and anger present in his voice. "That's where she found me, and took me in. And a year later, is a day I'll never forget."

_Even after I die_. He thought as he recalled that fateful day.

The day he'd never forgive himself for.

* * *

_"Wait, seriously!?" young, eight year old Gray exclaimed. "Deliora is close to here!?"_

_"Yes, Gray." said a woman with dark purple hair. Her sad, black eyes gazing upon her student and son. "And I know how you feel about Deliora, but you can't go after him, so don't go getting any crazy ideas!"_

_"But he killed my parents!" Gray cried. "I have to kill him!"_

_"Don't be stupid." said a younger, Lyon. "You'd never stand a chance."_

_"You wanna bet, Lyon?" _

_"Hmph. I'd win hands down."_

_"Boys!" growled Ur as she whacked them both on the head. "Neither of you will be going after Deliora, period!" _

_Gray couldn't accept it. He couldn't let this chance pass him. So, at night, he snuck out of their shack in the snow covered wilderness to go and face the demon that haunted his past. _

_"I'll kill you for sure, Deliora!" he said to himself. _

_The winter winds whipped and the snow fell in sheets, but he kept pressing on. Thankfully, Ur's training had given him a slight resistance to the severe cold. He pressed on for miles of the snow covered landscape, until he saw the fires and giant looming over the burning village. _

Finally!_ He thought as he charged towards the scene. Upon arriving at the horrid site, with dead and burning bodies lying on the ground, along with the screams of the surviving villagers, the demon turned in his direction. _

_"Deliora!" he screamed as he got into a fighting stance, his first attack about to launch. Just as he was about to send it flying at the large demon, a large piece of debris came flying at him and he was knocked out cold._

_What felt like an eternity later, he woke up to see none other than Lyon, firing multiple attacks at the beast. _

_"Lyon!" Gray yelled. "Get out of here!" _

_"No way am I passing this chance up, Gray!" he smirked as he looked over his shoulder at the noirette. Then, Lyon took a strange stance, one that he'd never seen either him or Ur do before. His arms bowed up, aimed behind him, thrusting them forward, making them cross. Ice and snow began to fly around him. That was until in a flash, he was encased in ice. Gray felt a presence behind him, turning to find their teacher staring at the scene in front of them. She walked past Gray and Lyon, standing directly between them._

_"Gray," she said softly, yet he could hear her over the chaos, "Take Lyon, and run."_

_"But I can't leave you!" he exclaimed, "And what was that strange spell Lyon was performing!?"_

_She sighed and turned to him, sadness written over her face. _

_"The spell he attempted is one I haven't taught to either of you." she said. "It's a dangerous and costly spell that entraps the target in ice, potentially for all eternity..." _

_Gray's eyes widened at that remark. _All of eternity!? _He thought, _That's incredible!

_"But it comes at a price." she warned. "The users themselves are ultimately used to make up the ice, allowing their life force and magic to sustain its grip on their target."_

_Gray's face fell upon hearing that. "T-They die!?"_

_She nodded. "And that is a sacrifice, I've always been fully prepared to make."_

_"Wait, no! Don't do it!" Gray cried, realizing what she meant._

_She took the same stance as Lyon once did. Instead of some random ice and snow, a blizzard was conjured. Her hands shot forward, crossing each other, and releasing a burst of magical energy that gravitated Deliora's gaze to her. At the top of her lungs she yelled the spell's name._

_"ICED SHELL!"_

_"The blizzard's intensity spiked as she broke the contact of her arms, swinging them directly back in a horizontal motion. The ground shook as the blizzard charged at Deliora, effectively encircling him as he cried out in a fit of rage. Gray watched in horror as his master, and his newfound mother began to turn to ice. She turned to him one last time, the whole right side of it turning from the pigment of her skin into the frozen water she'd once had control over. _

_He reached out to her and cried out, "Ur! Please don't leave us!" his tears gathering in his eyes. He could feel the same pain in his heart as he did a year ago._

_She smiled at him. "Although my life ends," she said, "I can safely know that yours will continue on. Gray, do your very best to live a good life. Help others, and love your brother."_

_"But-"_

_"Gray, this is my final wish for you." she said, a single tear rolling down her face and freezing over, "Always love and protect those around you, no matter what."_

_She turned back to the task at hand and fully turned to ice, then disappeared as snow into the blizzard which she had created. Moments later, after a brief flash, the blizzard died down, revealing Deliora completely encased in ice._

_Gray couldn't stop the tears from falling as he gazed upon her final spell, the one which saved his life, caused by his own mistake and thirst for revenge. He screamed loudly and pounded the ground in anger and grief. When he'd finally calmed down, he unfroze Lyon who had become unconscious, and dragged him back to Ur's shack. After telling Lyon what happened, the boy left him there, blaming Gray for Ur's death. _

_Alone, Gray wander southward from village to village, town to town, city to city, wondering if he could ever be forgiven or loved again. _

_He'd cost his own foster mother her life, and lost the relationship with his foster brother. _

_He had nothing left._

* * *

"Gray," murmured Jellal.

"Don't think too much on it." the noirette said. "It's all in the past."

"What happened to Deliora?"

Gray glanced back over at his foster brother. "About five years later, I got a letter from Lyon saying he'd grouped up with the Magic Council after joining the guild Lamia Scale."

"Guild?" Jellal asked curiously.

"Their groups of mages and wizards who form something along the lines of, well, a small community." Gray explained. "After he joined, he and a group from that guild went in search of Deliora's frozen self. When they found it, they also found that Deliora had been killed."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah. He died within the ice, which they found out when they melted the casing." Gray nodded. "The water that was made up of our mother's body flowed out of the port and into the sea."

"I see." said Jellal.

"I made a promise to myself then, before Lisanna's death, that I'd care for and protect my friends, and my new family. No matter what. And the rest of the story goes as you know it, and here we are." He sighed. He opened his hand, staring at his palm. "Though it's been years without using my **Ice-Make Magic**, telling you about it makes me feel… better about using it again."

"Let me guess. You didn't feel worthy of using the magic Ur taught you?"

"Mhm. But now, I feel like I can."

Jellal smiled, and turned back to the puke crew. "I hope they're going to be alright."

Gray chuckled. "It's just motion sickness." he said, "As soon as they get off, they'll be fine in a couple minutes or so. It's probably a result of their **Dragon Slayer Magic**, what with them having enhanced senses or something."

"Makes sense." Jellal shrugged.

Gray smiled and then turned to face their destination, slowly being covered in shadows with the sunset. His smile disappeared.

_Friends, huh?_ He thought, remembering his vow. He looked around at those he'd made friends, and amends with. _No time like the present to make good on that promise._

It felt like he jinxed himself as an explosion erupted and a beam of light went straight through the hull and the mighty _Christina_ began its course to the ground.

* * *

_Back in Magnolia..._

Lucy had been preparing herself to do the right thing for her little sister. Wendy might not be related to her, but they'd developed a sisterly bond that, she felt, could not be broken. She adored Wendy with all of her heart, and would be damned if she would have to suffer the same fate as her biological mother.

As she and her mother began to cook dinner, she made sure to pour the potion into Wendy's drink. She'd smelled it beforehand to make sure Wendy wouldn't detect it, which gladly it didn't have a scent. Lucy hated to not tell her, but Wendy didn't deserve to be dragged into all of this. So, she ever so quietly slipped it into the girl's water before she passed around drinks. Igneel had come over to help her so she wasn't discovered.

Though they figured out a while ago that Natsu's appetite had grown(due to his magic of course), he also seemed to take after Igneel in the sense of being an eating machine. When dinner was said and done, Igneel headed home after a chat with her folks. Over the time that had passed since his return, he'd already gotten a job in the city. And one that was quite confusing with his alibi for his disappearance. He'd become a part of Magnolia's Police Department. He was lucky to get in, but in doing so, he hoped to help Natsu and the others out whenever an incident occurred revolving around mages.

Now, Lucy also felt as though he did it to impress Wendy, being that he was her biological father and all. She seemed to be all about it and he adored telling her about how it's been working there so far.

When they went upstairs to get ready for bed, Lucy wondered if Natsu and the others were okay. Wendy seemed to notice her off demeanor.

"Hey, Lucy?" she asked, popping her head out from behind the shower curtain, "What's wrong?"

The blonde was surprised at her sister's perceptiveness. "O-Oh, nothing." she lied.

"Are you worried about Natsu?" Wendy asked. "I'm sure he's fine. And same with the others."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Wendy."

Carla and Happy trotted into the bathroom as the two finished getting ready. "Where did they go again?" asked the curious bluenette.

"O-Oh, they went on a trip to the mountain range!" Lucy answered, earning an oh from her sister. The alibi they had set in place was a boy's camping trip, considering Erza was being healed. Throughout the time she'd known the scarlet beauty, she'd always been impressed by her toughness and resilience. Although they'd temporarily delayed the poison from spreading, and used an illusion magic to make her arm look and feel normal to others, the poor girl had to be in a lot of pain. And yet, she showed no sign of it upon her face, hence why her parents hadn't freaked out yet. Though they had to stop her from joining the training regimens the boys were in multiple times in the past couple days.

The blonde sighed as she settled into bed with Happy mewing in comfort as he lay beneath the sheets. One thing still bothered her. What Igneel had told her about the Oracion Seis, coming for little Wendy. And doing so to bring out another side of Jellal after bringing him to the brink of death? It was insane! But yet, she didn't doubt it completely. If someone had told her about magic being real before she met her friends, she never would've even considered it being true, but here they were.

_Why?_ She wondered. _Why would they do that? What reason could they possibly have to use Wendy and Jellal?_

When she finally managed to calm her mind down, her mind walked into the darkness which she instantly recognized.

* * *

_This time it was only Loke. It seemed as though he was walking through the woods. She identified him by the orange spiky hair and glasses. His outer appearance seemed to have changed, at least style wise. His hair was more wild and longer than it normally was, and he was wearing a black suit with a red tie. In all honesty, he looked rather dashing compared to how he normally looked. His eyes seemed to glow a faint gold from behind his glasses as he began to chant something strange. He reached out as he did so._

_"**Gate of the Ram, I open thee! Aries, Appear to me!**"_

_What appeared to be a magic circle formed in front of him, showing the zodiac symbol of the constellation Aries. In a flash of light, a woman appeared. Her fuzzy outfit, pink hair, ram horns, and her shy demeanor gave her away. She indeed was the same one that Natsu and the others described._

_"L-Leo!?" she exclaimed, "W-Why have you summoned me?"_

How did he do that!?_ wondered Lucy in awe._

_He smiled. It was a gentle and warm one. "I wanted to see how you were faring under your current master." he said. The last words coming out slightly bitter._

_"Leo, it's alright." she replied. "I-I made a contract with her, and as you know we are forbidden from breaking the pacts we make."_

_"But she treats you awfully!" he cried. "Almost like… her."_

_"Leo…" she said, sorrow evident in her voice._

_He grabbed her shoulders. "I'll find a way to free you, I promise." he said firmly. "Besides, it seems that Lucy will be awakening to her magic soon."_

_"W-Who's Lucy?" wondered Aries, who also seemed slightly jealous."_

_"O-Oh, I forgot to tell you about her the last time we met. Remember that group I've been telling you about as of late?"_

_"Mhm."_

_"Well, it seems like Lucy, the blonde I mentioned, just might be the one they refer to from _The Prophecy_."_

_Aries gasped. "Are you sure!?" _

_Leo nodded. "Zeref was told by Acnologia, that she had an immense hidden power." his face looked rather grim. "I just hope if the time ever does come to pass, she's able to do what's needed."_

_"Me too." muttered the pinkette. "Does she know?"_

_"Well, I'm definitely sure she knows now." He said. "I managed to telepathically send her my memories of my talk with Zeref."_

_"Leo, that's risky. What if the king finds out you did that without his authorization!?" She said. "It could've started a mass pan-"_

_"She already knows about magic, remember?"_

_"Well… still. And it's weird for a guy to randomly put visions in girls' heads." Aries said._

And not to mention annoying._ Lucy groaned inwardly. _But how come he's so sure about ME being this person in this so called prophecy?

_"How do you know for sure? What if it's not her?" Aries questioned._

Yeah!_ Lucy thought._

_"For now," his face turning stern, "She's the only one who could possibly fit the meanings of The Prophecy." he said._

_"When will you reveal yourself to them? If she knows, she's bound to tell those she trusts." Aries asked. _

_Before he could answer, Aries began to glow. "O-Oh, it seems Mrs. Sora- Angel is calling me." she said fearfully."_

_Leo stiffened. "Just… be careful, okay?"_

_She nodded with a faint smile before she vanished. Leo sighed, his face hard as he began dashing through the woods. "It seems my time has come." he said to himself."Oracion Seis is making their next move."_

Natsu, and everyone._ she prayed,_ Please be safe.

_And like that, her dream ended._

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes, expecting it to be morning already, only to find it only thirty minutes later than when she shut her eyes. She groaned and lay still, until she heard a knock on her window. To her surprise it was none other than Loke, or Leo, himself.

"Hey Lucy." he whispered with a smile.

She folded her arms and raised her brow. "Did you mean for me to see that?"

"Of course. It showed you that Aries is not a bad celestial spirit, but just under a contract."

"And?"

"Okay, okay." he sighed. "It's also easier if I don't have to repeat myself. Happy?"

"Not really." she replied. She caught him gazing at her in her pj's, and hit him with her pillow.

"What was that for!?" he whispered loudly, rubbing his head.

"For putting visions in my head and worrying our friends!" she shot back. "What's with being all sneaky and talking to Zeref behind our back, Loke! Or should I call you Leo!?"

"To be honest, I don't really care." he sighed. "Just call me Loke when talking around those who aren't in your little group." he smirked.

"So why are you here?"

At that his face hardened. "I came to intercept the Oracion Seis." he said. "And I need your help."

"What!? Why are they coming here!? And what the hell do you think I can do to help you!?" she hissed.

"You heard me." Leo said. "Your magic power."

"Which I _can't_ use, in case you've already forgotten!"

"Well, I'm sure someone in your little alliance has figured out why their coming for _your_ family specifically." he frowned. "I came here to stop them, but bec-"

"Because I'm _supposedly_ the one mentioned in '_The_ _Prophecy_'!" she spat with air quotes. "And Igneel mentioned something about Wendy being needed."

"Exactly." he said nodding.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "What exactly does this prophecy say?"

"_When the black wizard plays with life,_

_And wings of darkness shall cover the sky._

_The stars shall name their queen at last,_

_With her flowing gold hair, and a love for a lie._

_A hero to slay darkness and time shall come,_

_And being that which he desired to raze._

_Upon the final stage shall he burn last,_

_Or the demon king shall set the world ablaze._"

Upon hearing that, the two turned towards the door to see a large man standing there. Lucy had no doubt it was Brain, from what she remembered hearing her friends describe. He stood there, smirking, but Lucy noticed something being held under his arm. She could make out a familiar head of blue hair, causing her eyes to widen, and her fears to be coming to life.

Brain was holding Wendy.

* * *

I wanted the whole plot to be covered, but I didn't want to make _The Prophecy_ too long lol. Hope it was alright XD I didn't really feel like writing what wend down in training just yet, but some might pop up later so be vigilant!

We got a look at Gray's past, and his new resolve to protect his friends, but can he keep it? What's up with _The Prophecy_? How are our heroes dealing with their predicament? And what will Lucy do about Brain kidnapping Wendy!? That AND MORE in the coming chapters! :D

To get alerts to updates on THIS STORY, Follow it ofc :P

IF you want updates to ALL CONTENT, displayed on my profile, feel free to follow me! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	13. Ch13 - Rescuing the Sky Maiden

Howdy y'all! :D

Hope you're having a great weekend and staying safe out there! As we get into this next chapter, I'll be trying really hard to give you the best fight scenes possible when we get to them. I've not really gotten much practice writing them, other than my other stories lol.

Anyway, where we left off, we learned a little more about our cold boy, Gray's, past, and his ties with Lyon. Can he get over the past and focus on the crisis in the present? Or will things come crashing down?

We also got a glimpse of _The Prophecy_ and what will happen, as well as Wendy being kidnapped by a certain man we all hate, *cough, cough,* Brain *cough*

Well, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy chapter 13! UwU

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

**Rescuing the Sky Maiden**

* * *

Lucy couldn't help it. Upon seeing her sister in that villains arms, she couldn't hold it in.

"**Wendy**!" she screamed, though she immediately realized her mistake. _Shit! Our parents!_

Brain smirked before pounding his staff and disappearing with Wendy. Leo cursed as he heard footsteps rushing up the stairs. He leapt out the window and hid in the bushes.

Her parents came rushing in to find Lucy on her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"Lucy! What's wrong dear!?" cried her mother. "Why did you scream Wen-"

The blonde didn't even let her finish. She enveloped her mother in a hug, crying into her nightgown. Claire pulled her daughter into a tight hug as Ryan went to check on Wendy.

When he came back, his eyes showed fear and confusion. "She's gone!" he exclaimed.

"What!? How, and where!?"

"I don't know! We-we better call the police, maybe Igneel can help!"

Leo, knowing the situation was going to shit, decided against his better judgement. He jumped back up to the branches and through the window, surprising the blonde's parents.

"W-who are you!?" growled Ryan. "What have you done with our daughter!?"

Leo raised his hands. "I, Mr. and Mrs. Ashley, have done nothing but attempt to stop this from happening."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Ryan growled.

"Dad, it wasn't him!" Lucy cried as she managed to calm herself. She put herself between her angry father and the alarmed lion constellation. She looked at him, just now noticing that within his now wild hair that he had lion's ears. Shaking that strange thought out of her head, she looked back at her friend. "I can't keep them in the dark anymore Leo." she said.

Leo opened his mouth in protest, but decided against his better judgement. He sighed with a nod. "Surly I'll be criticized by the kind, but it's not like it'll be the first time.

"In the dark about what?" her mother questioned. "Lucy, what are you hiding from us."

"Well it's a long story…." she began. _No, I don't have time! I have to save Wendy somehow._ She thought. "Can I tell you in the car?"

"Why not now?" Ryan exclaimed, not understanding.

"We're going to save Wendy of course!" Lucy replied.

Claire and Ryan gazed at each other in confusion, then back at their daughter. "Fine. But you better explain everything along the way.

Leo seemed to know what the blonde was thinking. "Seems like we'll be taking a road trip." he bowed. "Now before we go, my name is Leo the Lion, King of the Zodiac. You might've heard me called Loke until now,"

"This should be an interesting story indeed." sighed Ryan as they ran for their clothes and out the door. Starting up the minivan and speeding off towards the fight ahead of them.

* * *

_In the forest…._

Natsu rubbed his head as he opened his eyes. He remembered very little from the ride to their crash landing. Most of what he could recall was him continuously barfing over _Christina_'s side. Then a turquoise ray of light.

His eyes widened. _Shit!_

He looked around at the wreckage to see his friends and the members of the guilds strewn about the formerly mighty bomber. He stood and looked around for signs of danger or an attack, activating his flames and scales. His ruby eyes looking for even the slightest movement amongst the trees. His ears picked up noise from the wreckage as his comrades began to awaken. They too were wary of their surroundings.

Gray's demon tattoo covered most of the right side of his body, his hair spiked, and his cold gaze scanning the area. Laxus' yellow scales dotted his body, and Gajeel's skin went into iron colored scales. His now emerald eyes met the pinkette's, and Laxus's. Jellal's facial marking appeared over his left eye, and he helped the others out of the wreck.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Hibiki as they counted their numbers.

"Seems like it." Jura said as he smashed his staff down, creating a wall of stone around them.

Lyon glanced at Gray, seeing his transformation. "I see you still won't use _her_ magic."

Natsu noticed Gray tense up when he said that, which even though he and the noirette had had a hateful relationship a while ago, they'd already mended things. Being his friend, he wouldn't tolerate someone treating them like that. He was about to tell Lyon to back off, until Jellal shook his head.

His face very clearly said: _Let it go._ Natsu wanted to protest, but decided against it, though he really, really wanted to smash Lyon's face in for his comment. They had bigger fish to fry anyway.

Hibiki began to type furiously, cursing as he did so. "Damn!" he growled. "How didn't our magic scanners pick up their magic power!?"

"Let alone us not noticing it ourselves." Grumbled Ren.

"Alright. Here's how we'll divide up. We have six opponents, and eleven of us since Erza is down." he frowned.

"Actually, I stowed away." groaned a voice in the wreckage. Jellal and Laxus helped her up.

"What the hell are you doing here, Erza!?" Jellal exclaimed. "You can't be exerting yourself while you're poisoned!"

Natsu sighed. Erza wasn't one to give up, no matter how many times someone told her no. It didn't matter who told her either, be it her parents or anyone. As Natsu recalled, that was how she became so popular in the first place.

"Someone has to protect Hibiki as he guides us." she said plainly. "Since I can't exactly go on the offensive, I can defend him."

"He-"

"Although it slightly hurts that you feel I need protecting," Hibiki sighed, "I do appreciate it."

Jellal stared at Hibiki, unable to process what he'd just said. "You can't be serious."

"I can handle myself fine, thank you very much." she said. "Don't worry about me so much."

"..."

Natsu patted Jellal's shoulder. "It's best to let her do what she wants. Otherwise-" he stopped as soon as he realized Erza could hear him. A strong presence of anger was coming from her direction.

"**What was that, Natsu?**" She growled.

"N-Nothing!" he said, hiding behind Jellal.

"That's what I thought."

"Gihihi!" chuckled Gajeel. "Scared of her, aren't you, Pinky?"

"Shut it!" Natsu shot back. "So are you, Rust Bucket!"

"Am not!"

"**Boys, focus!**"

"Yes ma'am!" the two squeaked.

"Anyway," continued Hibki, "We'll split up into teams. Erza and I will remain here, while the rest of you go after the Oracion Seis."

"Why doesn't the council do something about this again?" asked Natsu. It'd been burning in his mind, yet he decided to hold back the question, assuming it would be discussed if he just waited.

Ichiya spoke up. "The Magic Council cannot come after this threat because of the panic it would cause." He said while striking a pose. "They're military force may be limited to a couple tens of thousands of soldiers, but that would still cause a hysteria, just moving those troops. There'd be no way to avoid being seen. And besides, _Christina_ had the capability to camouflage herself from any non-magical beings."

"Oh."

"Ahem. As I was saying," The dark blond continued, "These will be the groups, though it isn't perfect, it will be faster: Gray and Natsu, Gajeel and Laxus, Ren and Eve, Jura, Ichiya and Jellal, and Sherry and Lyon."

"Smart." Jura nodded with a smile. "I can handle a single member on my own at the very least, so we should be able to take them all out before they reach Nirvana."

"Let's hope so." Laxus murmured. "There's no telling how close they are to it since we know neither their positions, or Nirvana's itself."

"Well then." Natsu said, "We should get moving then."

"Right." They all said in agreement. The teams began to disperse into the forest.

Natsu looked toward Gray, who nodded back at him. "Let's go get 'em."

"You know it!"

With that, the battle had already begun.

* * *

_In the van..._

As they traveled through the forest, Lucy prayed they'd get there soon. She had just finished telling her parents the summary of everything that's gone down that had been related to her friends, Zeref, and this hidden magic world that they were now a part of.

"So let me get this straight," Ryan said, still confused. "Some madman, named Zeref, injected Natsu, Gray, Erza, Jellal, Laxus, and Gajeel with some serum that allows them to use magic and 'transform', and now some of his escaped test subjects are now planning to use some ancient magic for some evil purpose? I still can't even believe that literally most of those we've come to know are a part of this." he said, baffled.

"Yeah." the blonde nodded.

"Natsu's the one they refer to as Salamander?" Claire asked.

"Yeeaah." sighed Lucy. "I'm so sorry I hid this from you guys." she apologized.

"To be honest, I don't blame you." Ryan said. "Besides, we learned our daughters are in trouble, so we'd naturally want to help as much as possible."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait, really!?"

Her parents both nodded and smiled. "You kids can't do this on your own." Caire explained.

"Besides," her dad continued, "It's kind of cool that our daughters and our foster son are kind of like superheroes." he laughed. "And that you're a part of some prophecy."

"Well," Lucy sighed. "I still haven't been able to use my magic yet."

"That's actually quite simple now." Leo said.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

"Well, there are twelve Zodiac Celestial Spirits." he said. "_The_ _Prophecy_ hasn't been able to be interpreted completely for thousands of years, but more recently I've come to this conclusion. The first line says: '_When the black wizard plays with life,_'. Can you guess who that could be?"

"Zeref." Lucy said, her eyes narrowing.

"Correctamundo." he said. "As for the second line, it's more difficult. '_And wings of darkness shall cover the sky._'. I still haven't figured that part yet, but I'm almost certain the wings it refers to is one of a dragon. The next two seem all too easy for me now. Just being near you, I can feel what Acnologia was referring to."

"_The stars shall name their queen at last,_

_With her flowing gold hair, and a love for a lie._" Lucy recited.

"You've got that flowing 'gold' hair." he said.

"But what about: '_and a love for a lie._'?" she questioned.

"Now that," he said, "is a good question. It had me puzzled even before I knew it was you. But as for the previous line about the stars naming their queen, as I said, it's very simple. Think of all the Celestial Spirits as a nation. We twelve represent the entirety of the Celestial Spirit population before the Celestial Spirit King."

"Wait." she said. "You mentioned him earlier. I thought you were the king."

"Well, not exactly. I'm only the leader of the Zodiac, so I discuss extreme matters directly with the king himself. He's the one with all the power." Leo explained.

"I see." Lucy murmured. "So, do you twelve vote or something?"

"Sort of." he said. "The king serving during the time that _The Prophecy_ was made, had foretold, since he was there as it was given, that that queen would be chosen by the given approval us Zodiac twelve, and by the king during that time as well. With that, the queen would be named and that part of The Prophecy would be fulfilled at last."

"So in order for me to be named this so-called queen, all thirteen of you would need to give your stamp of approval."

"Yep."

"..."

"What?" he asked.

"Are you sure I have so-"

"Lucy, for the entire time I've served as Leo, King of the Zodiac, I've never met a celestial wizard with power that even compared to yours. I can feel it locked away, so it comes off as a smaller force, but I know without a doubt. It's you, Lucy."

"Wow, thanks." she said softly. She hadn't expected such an answer.

"Honey, you already have Natsu." Claire smirked.

"M-Mom! What are you saying!?"

Leo chuckled. "Interesting. I must've missed that while I was away. Well, as the rest of it goes:

_A hero to slay darkness and time shall come,_

_And being that which he desired to raze._

_Upon the final stage shall he burn last,_

_Or the demon king shall set the world ablaze._"

"I'm not quite sure about that one." Lucy muttered. "But I'm guessing it has something to do with a fire magic wielder, and END."

"You do have a point…" Leo said.

_Fire magic user… _Lucy thought._ Could it be..._

Suddenly, Leo stopped the van. He got out of the vehicle, took a few steps, and tensed up.

"Leo, What's wrong?" the blonde asked nervously as she followed him outside.

"Tell your parents to get out of here." he said. Then he quickly turned to her. "NOW!"

Lucy panicked and ran back to her parents. "Get out of here! GO!" she yelled.

"But Lucy-" her mother protested.

Leo turned to them. "I'll keep her safe. And I'm sure the others will too, so move before you're caught in the crossfire!"

With that, Lucy watched her parents drive off, safe and out of harm's way. "What's wrong, Leo? Do you sense something nearby?"

"One of the Oracion Seis is nearby." he growled. "Come on!" He took off, running into the forest as the blonde tried to keep up.

* * *

_With Natsu and Gray..._

As they traveled through the forest, Natu and Gray had met a few mages along the way, all of which was hired by the Oracion Seis. Surprisingly, they weren't so tough, and they'd taken out a whole guild by themselves. Natsu yawned.

"Ugggh! That was so boring."

"I don't think it was supposed to entertain you, Ash Breath." Gray sighed. "Though I concur."

Natsu looked at him funny. "Concur? What the hell is wrong with you, Ice Princess?"

"What? Jealous I have a wider range of vocabulary, Squinty eyes?"

"If that's the best insult you have, then there's no reason to be jealous, Droopy Eyes!"

Suddenly, Natsu paused, holding his hand up to Gray before he could shoot back another insult. He caught a whiff of something familiar as he sniffed the air. But it didn't make sense. Why would she be here?

"What's wrong, Natsu?" the noirette asked.

"I'm not sure why," he said, scowling, "but I smell Wendy."

"That can't be." Gray waved him off. "There's no way she'd be here. She's at home with Luc-"

"I smell her too." The pinkette added. "It's faint, but she's with… Loke."

That caught Gray's attention. "Are you sure!?"

"Positive." Natsu said. "But what's really bothering me is that one of the Oracion Seis is near Lucy and Loke, and there are two near Wendy."

"Seriously!?" Gray gasped. "H-How?"

"I don't know." he muttered. "But from what Lucy told us, Loke is that 'King of the Zodiac' and whatnot, and she has natural magic too so she'll be fine."

"Then it's safe to assume you're going after Wendy?"

"Yeah." Natsu growled. "Lyon and Sherry are nearby as well. Alert them if you can, despite whatever beef you have with that white haired numbskull."

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Fine." he grumbled. "But then I'm going to meet up with Lucy and Loke." He said.

"Not if I get to her first!" the pinkette smirked as he blasted off into the woods leaving Gray behind. In his free time when no one was around, he'd practiced firing his flames in a thin burst from his hands and feet, sending him flying wherever he wanted. It was much faster than plain running, though it was dangerous. He figured he'd need to take out the Oracion Seis quickly before they could do any real damage, so he hoped this might help. He looked up towards the sky when he saw a familiar yellow beam zip over his head towards Wendy and who he assumed to be Brain and Midnight.

_Is that …. Jellal?_ He wondered._ Why did he and Ichiya separate?_ He thought about it as he soared through the forest, getting closer to the powerful leader of the Oracion Seis, and to the girl he saw as his sister.

_Just hang on, Wendy. I'll be there soon!_

* * *

_With Wendy…._

As Wendy opened her eyes, she felt woozy. Almost as if she'd ridden one of those roller coasters that were specifically designed to make you dizzy and queasy. She looked around at her surroundings, not expecting to be somewhere other than her bedroom. She felt a surge of fear and confusion. It seemed as though she was in a small cave. She could see the tunnel leading outside, though she could tell it was still nighttime. The inside was lit with torches, and at the back of the cave wall sat some sort of small shrine.

_Where am I? _She asked herself._ And why am I here?_

Suddenly, she heard the crunch of footsteps. Her head whipped around to find a tall man with white hair and facial tattoos smirking at her. His staff had a skull on it and his demeanor was quite intimidating. Behind him was a man sleeping upright on a …

"How's that carpet floating!?" she cried, the fear evident in her voice as she backed away from them, "W-Who are you people and what do you want with me!?"

"We, little girl," the large man said, "are the Oracion Seis! I, Brain, have brought you here to do us a little favor."

"W-What?" the confused girl squeaked.

"We need you to heal a much needed asset to our plan." he said. "He should be here soon, so we need your magic now."

"What are you t-talking about?" she said, shaking her head. "I don't have any magic!"

"Of course you do!" Brain smirked. "You just need to awaken it within you."

He raised his staff and smacked her body into the cave wall, causing her to scream in pain. She didn't feel anything was broken, but pain surged throughout her like nothing she'd ever felt before. As she hit the floor, she coughed up blood. Her eyes were wide, and thoughts of fear and confusion flooded her brain. She slowly met Brains gaze as he began to close the distance between them. She feared another strike, only to be saved by a voice.

"Stop!"

Both Wendy and her attacker gazed towards the entrance to find none other than Jellal standing there. His eyes held no fear, but she wondered why he was here. She noticed a red mark running down the right side of his face, going over his eye, as well as his clothes being rather strange.

_How did he know where we were?_ She wondered. She tried to speak, but Brain cut her off.

"Excellent timing, Jellal!" he said, praising the blue haired boy. "You're just in time!" He raised his staff, a large green orb forming at it's head, and blasted it straight into their visitor's chest.

"Jellal!" she cried. She attempted to push through the pain and slowly crawl toward his now still body. "What did you do to him!?" she screamed at Brain.

"Oh, don't worry. He's not dead." Brain reassured her. "I did say that he was a valuable asset to us, just for the fact he's been working for us secretly the whole time."

The girl was stunned. Jellal was in cahoots with these guys? Why? She just understands why a friend of her sisters would work with such evil people. But that didn't mean she stopped caring for him.

"You said I have magic power that can heal." she whimpered. "What is it, and how do I use it?"

"Dear girl," he said, "You are the daughter of the late Sky Dragon Grandeeny, though your magic is slightly different. You have the power to control the sky and kill the mighty beasts that were feared by all for their ferocity. You are a Sky Dragon Slayer, which allows you to heal your comrades with that sky magic."

"D-Daughter of The Sky Dragon, Grandeeny?" she questioned

"Yes. Her maiden name was Marvell, but the married name she took in wedlock was Redfox."

Gajeel's family name!? Wendy thought in surprise.

"The man she married: Igneel Redfox."

_No way!_ She was beyond surprised. Natsu's original foster father was her actual birth father.

"Wait. You said late." she said, concerned. "That would mean she's…"

"Indeed." Brain said, confirming her suspicions. "Your birth mother is unfortunately dead."

Wendy felt like crying. She felt pains in her chest, other than the pain inflicted by Brain's assault.

"Now, as for Jellal, he was a young boy when we first met." Brain explained. "He'd wandered too far from his parents, and I used a hypnosis spell which created another personality. As for which one is real, I could not tell you, but he's been working for me specifically ever since. Now let's get back to your magic power, I'll show you how to save him." he said, smirking.

Wendy shivered and shook with sorrow and fear. She had no time to mourn her mothers death, or identify if it was true. There was nothing she could do to fight back. She was alone and helpless. Only a tool for the means to Brain's end.

_Please! _She prayed_. Someone, anyone! Help me!_

* * *

Oh poor little Wendy! ;-;

Who else agrees with me that she doesn't deserve to be smacked around by that MF, Brain? Well, regardless, that was here fate for the moment, but it seems like she's finally been initiated into the hidden world of Magic. And she's not the only one. Lucy's parents have finally been filled in about what's happened to the others.

These are the possible fights that I'm debating to show up in the next chapter.

Natsu vs. Brain and Midnight vs. ?(more than likely)

Gray, Lyon, Sherry vs. Racer(m.t.l.)

Jura vs. Hoteye

Lucy, Leo vs. Angel(m.t.l.)

Well, I hope you all enjoyed it! Peace out :P

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	14. Ch14 - The Unexpected

Hey all!

It's time for Chapter 14! I literally just finished writing it so I hope you all enjoy! :P I don't have much to say this time so carry on!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

**_The Unexpected_**

* * *

After seeing Jellal flying overhead a little while ago, Natsu had started to get concerned. As it pertained to the task at hand, he was glad that Jellal would be there. He'd have someone to back him up if things got dicey. He knew he could be stubborn at times, and more often than not refused help, preferring to do things by himself. As he got closer, he could almost hear the words between those present. That's when he heard it come from Brain's mouth.

"...Igneel Redfox."

His eyes widened with surprise and he lost focus on his maneuver, causing him to trip over a root and smash into a tree trunk. He groaned as he hit the ground, but his mind was more focused on his confusion rather than his pain.

_Why did he mention Igneel's name?_ He wondered.

Ever since learning his father and his foster father were siblings, he'd felt slightly closer to the man he'd known all these years. Although he wasn't his birth father, he'd always thought of him as such. But besides that, why was he being mentioned?

Natsu quickly got up and quickly shot towards their voices. It took him a little longer than he'd anticipated, but he finally reached the cave in the side of a mountain. It's entrance was directly at the base, and he could smell the presence of Wendy and Brain within the chamber, as well as faint traces of Midnight. Jellal's scent was strong, but something was off about it. He dashed into the cave, fists ablaze to find a rather shocking sight.

Jellal was standing there in the middle of the room pinning Brain to the wall, and Wendy unconscious on the floor wearing what appeared to be her nightgown. He seemed to be crushing Brain's throat, which Natsu knew was against his friend's character.

"Jellal, let him go." Natsu growled.

He could feel Jellal's tense demeanor, as well as his killing intent radiating off of him. But nothing could have prepared him for Jellal shifting his killing intent towards him. He crossed his arms to block the punch the bluenette thrusted at him. Though he felt the killing intent, he took one look into Jellal's eyes, and knew that he wasn't himself. Natsu's attacker suddenly began to grip his own forehead as if he had a migraine.

"Who are you!?" he moaned in pain. "What do you want with me!?"

With a swift kick, he sent Natsu flying into the side of the chamber. The pinkette felt the pain surge through his body as he hit the wall, but quickly adjusted himself and launched at Jellal as soon as his feet hit the ground. He landed a punch to his friends face while receiving one to the gut, and a chop to the neck. If not for the scales and abilities he was given, he would have surely been dead at this point. In that way, he owed Zeref one.

"Jellal!" he cried. "Snap out of it! What's wrong with you?!"

"How do you know me?'' he retorted as he charged up his meteor attack. Natsu attempted to avoid it, and just barely did so, landing next to the unconscious girl. He grabbed her, and managed to avoid another one of Jellal's attacks before getting whacked in the head by Brain, who'd finally regained his senses from suffocating.

"You brats! He growled as he blocked a strike from Jellal, grabbing his arm and tossing him as if he were only a pebble. The bluenette simply shot off like a missile again, but this time, he rocketed into the tunnel and out of the cave.

Natsu stood up, holding Wendy in his arms. He glared at the white haired man in the room. "What the hell did you do to him!?"

Brain ignored him for a moment, staring at the exit. "It seems as though my plan has backfired." he said. "Instead of bringing out his 'other' side, I've merged them into one, confused conscience."

"Say what now!?"

"You shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" he growled, swinging his staff at the pinkette. Natsu jumped onto the staff, and launched himself towards the tunnel, until Brain grabbed hold of his foot, slamming him into the wall and making him drop the unconscious Wendy on the floor.

"Douchebag!" Natsu growled as he kicked at the man, landing hits to the side of his face and ribs. He lit his fist on fire and thrusted it at Brain. At the same time, Brain had charged another green orb of magic and prepared to launch it at pinkette. Both attacks connected, creating an explosion within the cave, sending Brain against the back wall, and Natsu, along with poor Wendy out through the tunnel. Thinking about the current situation, the pinkette made the smart decision, grabbing the girl and heading back towards Hibiki and Erza, leaving Brain to himself.

_Erza's going to be angry with me for letting this guy off the hook,_ He thought, _but I need to get Wendy to safety first….and then track Brain and Jellal down._

* * *

_With Lucy and Leo…._

As the two were running, Lucy could feel her energy being drained by the second. Leo, on the other hand, seemed to be completely fine.

"Can we plleease slow down?" she panted behind him. "My lungs are on fire and my legs are turning to jello!"

"Hold on just a bit more," Leo replied, "we're almost there!"

As they came upon a winding river within the trees, Leo came to a full stop. He glanced around, looking for what he sensed earlier. "They're here." he muttered. "I can feel it."

"Leo, you look cute today." Her voice rang.

"That's kind of irrelevant, but thanks Lucy!" he blushed and scratched the back of his head, looking at the blonde.

"Thanks for what?" the girl questioned, looking at him as if he'd grown another head.

"What do you mean?" He asked, "You just called me cu-"

"No offense, but I didn't say that."

"So you still think I-"

"No, not really. At least in the way you're thinking." she sighed.

"But you do look cute." came Lucy's voice again.

"Okay. This is confusing." he sighed. "Either you're playing hard to get or-" she straight up chopped him on the head.

"Maybe look around once in a while!" she squeaked. "Look!"

She watched his gaze meet at where her finger was pointing. On the other side of the river, was another Lucy. Same outfit, eyes, hairstyle, and figure: and exact living, breathing replica.

"H-How is that possible!?"

"Wow!" Leo exclaimed. "I always knew the Gemini twins were good, but this is spectac- I mean surprising." He said after receiving a glare from the blonde.

"So you figured it out, huh?" came a female's voice. "Well, I shouldn't be so surprised considering you are the King of the Zodiac." The woman in question came out from behind a tree, and if Lucy was being completely honest with herself, the woman looked like a model. Her figure was curvaceous but proportioned almost perfectly. She assumed this was the same Angel that she'd been told about, though her outfit wasn't as she'd recalled from her description, it was probably even more risque. It was made up of a fluffy white dress that revealed a bit too much of the sides of her chest, and what appeared to be matching wings attached to its back. She wore dark blue gloves that ran up past her elbows and matching stockings, with light blue feathered boots. Her extremely light blue hair was in a bob cut, with a dark blue ribbon in her hair, with two small bows on each side of her head.

Lucy, after punching Leo's arm for staring at the woman, glared at their visitor. "What do you want?"

"Oh, me?" she said, "I'm simply here to kill you."

"Seems like you're doing a great job." the blonde mocked.

"For a little girl with no magic," Angel remarked with a smirk, "you really have some balls to come and face one of the Six Demons."

"Demons?" Lucy questioned. "You don't look like a demon, but you sure as hell act like one."

"Honey, I'll have you know I'm an angel."

"That's contradictory."

"So? What do I care what you think?" Angel continued, annoyance evident in her voice.

"Because, I'll be honest." Lucy said, knowing she was going to regret this comment, "you look like a slut."

Angel raised her eyebrow in annoyance. "Oh really?" She then smirked and snapped her fingers. "Gemini, if you please."

Gemini Lucy grabbed the hem of her shirt, causing Lucy to realize what was about to happen. But before she could do anything, the replica pulled her shirt up.

Before Leo could see fully what was on display, Lucy managed to land a roundhouse kick in the face, sending him to the ground.

"Put that shirt back on right!" she screamed as Angel laughed maniacally.

"Who's the slut now?" she remarked as Gemini disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leo had just begun to stand again as he held his nose.

"What was that for, Lucy!?" he yelled.

"N-Nothing! Just shut up please!"

"Now, if we're done chatting," Angel said, pulling out a golden key from inside her dress, which Lucy thought would've been quite uncomfortable, "then let's get this over with."

She pointed her key directly at the two of them, and spoke a familiar chat, "**Gate of the Ram, I open thee! Aries, Appear to me!**"

In the blink of an eye, there stood none other than Aries herself. The same woolly dress, pink hair, and timid expression.

"Aries…" Leo muttered, his face twisted to one of pain and regret.

"Leo…" she held a similar expression. Lucy felt a pang in her heart. These two obviously didn't want to fight each other, but based on what she'd heard from her vision of their conversation, the pacts were final, and that was that. However, she couldn't stand to see them fight.

"Wait, Leo-"

"It's fine, Lucy." He said in a calm, but wavering voice. "She's made a pact with Angel. By celestial law, we are not allowed to break these contracts."

"H-He's right." Aries nodded, "But thank you for caring." she said, managing a small smile before her face shifted back to Leo's and hardening to an expression of determination. The two launched themselves at each other and their fight began. Leo's fists began to glow a radiant light, while Aries' were covered with wool. Lucy didn't understand the physics or logic behind what was happening as the two traded blows, though she barely had time to think much about it. A massive pain exploded in her abdomen as Angel delivered a swift kick, sending the poor blonde into the river. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep where she landed as she slowly got up, glaring at the woman.

"Did you really think you could stand around without participating."

"No, I actually didn't." Lucy shot back, anger rising up inside of her. "I'm actually glad you did that. You've just gotten me engaged in this fight, bitch!" she roared as she charged the woman. "Magic or not, I'm going to kick your ass!"

* * *

_With Gajeel and Laxus..._

Laxus and Gajeel wandered around for a while in search of the members of the Oracion Seis, hoping it'd be easy enough. They had been on the trail of one of them, until it had gone cold in a flash. They assumed it was Racer, considering the magic he'd been associated with. They'd also encountered a group of mages and wizards working for the Oracion Seis and decimated their forces. In flash, Laxus disappeared, and only a few seconds later he returned, shaking his head. The two sighed.

"Feels like we've been walking in circles." Gajeel muttered.

"I know, but we haven't" Laxus grunted in reply.

The black haired dragon slayer punched one of the trees, effectively splitting it in half with his iron scale skin "And I was sure you'd managed to find at least one of the six with that ability of yours."

Laxus had developed the technique over the course of their three day training to help get somewhere. Since he and Jellal were the fastest in the group, they could use their scent to their advantage, leading the others with their smelling capabilities right to them. It was quite the development and was expected to work well, yet here they were.

Suddenly, Laxus' head whipped around. "Did you hear that?" he said quietly.

"Yeah." Gajeel nodded. "Sounds like we got company, and I didn't even smell 'im until now."

From an opening in the trees, Jellal walked out. His face stern and his eyes staring directly into theirs.

They eased up upon seeing their friend. "Jeez, Jellal," Gajeel groaned, "Next time, give us a heads up if you're coming. Thought you we-"

He was cut off as soon as the blue haired boy got into a stance, and loudly yelled, "**Jiu Leixing!**"

At that moment, nine glowing swords appeared above him. They suddenly felt his killing intent. They immediately prepared themselves for a fight, though they were confused when he held his head in pain, gritting his teeth so hard they thought his pearly whites would shatter like glass.

"W-Who," he began, "Who are you!? Why does my head hurt so much from seeing you!?" he exclaimed as he willed the swords to fire at them. The two managed to dodge a majority, though unfortunately Laxus was in the direct path of one. He was about to escape using his magic, but he felt drained. He was still very new to using the lightning travel technique, so he must have exhausted his ability to perform it for the moment. He was prepared to take the attack until a voice in his mind told him to do something crazy.

Gajeel's eyes widened as his friend opened his mouth and the sword went right into his gaping jaws.

"Laxus!" he yelled. "What the fuck are you doing!? And the hell is wrong with you, Jellal!?"

Laxus slumped over, seemingly about to pass out. Jellal stood down as Gajeel rushed to help him, only for both to become surprised when the blond burped.

"Excuse me." he said, as he stood, wiping his mouth as if he'd just gorged himself at an all-you-can-eat buffet. "Thanks for the snack, Jellal."

Both stared in confusion at the lightning dragon slayer as an aura of electricity surged around his body. Thunder clouds began to form overhead and lightning began to strike the ground around him. In a flash of lightning, he was behind Jellal, and gripping his head

"I don't know what the hell you just did, but it looks like it's a win for us." Gajeel smirked, pounding his fists.

"How did you-"

"Sorry, Jellal," the blond said, "but this is going to hurt." He took the blue haired boy and smashed him into a tree, causing him to yell out in pain.

"How the hell did you do that anyway?" Gajeel asked as he approached the blond. But before Laxus had the chance to answer, Jellal cut him off.

Jellal slowly stood. "That's an impressive feat you've pulled off," he said, "but I've figured it out. You, the lightning dragon slayer, have special abilities, revolving around that particular element. Since **Jiu Leixing** is an attack made of lightning, it will do hardly any damage to you because of your ability to consume it's lightning and use it for power."

"So, that's how it works." Laxus murmured, looking at his own hands and igniting a spark. He gazed at it, and put it to his mouth. He immediately gagged. "Uggh!" he groaned.

"Hmmmm," Jellal hummed in surprise. "It seems you can only take in outer sources and not that of your own direct creation."

"To be honest, it did seem kind of stupid." Gajeel commented. "But what does it matter?" He charged once more at Jellal throwing his arm forward as it formed into a large metal club. With the use of his **Meteor** attack, Jellal was able to avoid it. Though as he looked down, he saw Gajeel smirking. His eyes widened as Laxus smacked him back towards the grinning Gajeel.

"Lemme show you a magic trick!" He howled as he began inhaling and just as a dragon would breath fire upon its victims, a howling tornado of metal shards homed in on him. The tore at his skin as he tried to deflect them. Finally, he stretched out his hands, painting seven of his fingers and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"**Let the seven stars bring judgment upon you, Grand Chariot!**"

In the sky, seven stars shone brightly causing the two dragon slayers to shift their gaze up. When the realization hit them about what was going to happen, it was too late. Seven rays of light stuck downward in the form of the big dipper catching them in the process. A large explosion went off, but as soon as the dust cleared, Jellal was the only one left standing. He looked at the two injured and unconscious dragon slayers on the ground. At first he wanted to kill them, but now he felt as though he'd done enough.

"I don't know who you are," he said, "so please forgive me. But regardless," He limped away into the woods to continue what he'd been doing before engaging in that fight.

"No one shall stop me from finding Nirvana." he said disappearing into the trees.

* * *

_Back with Natsu…._

As Natsu ran through the forest, he eventually found his way back to Hibiki and Erza. The two ran to them, not noticing little Wendy on his back until Erza attempted to hug him.

"What happened!?" the scarlet warrior gasped, noticing the girls bruises. "Why is Wendy here!?"

"I'm not quite sure," the pinkette answered, "but it has to do with Brain and Jellal."

"Jellal?" she asked, surprise coloring her face.

"Yeah, he got there before I did, but he…. changed." he said, teeth clenched.

Hibiki frowned. "How do you mean?"

"He was more violent. When I got there, he had Brain on the brink of death, strangling him like he actually _wanted_ to."

"Weelllll," Hibiki sighed, rubbing his arm, "I can think of a few who might want to do that, but that's besides the point."

They heard a groan on Natsu's back as the little bluenette's eyes fluttered open. "H-huh?" Wendy murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Wha-where am I?" That's when she realised she was on the pinkette's back, though she didn't recognize him. Her eyes widened and her arms flailed in panic.

"Whaaaa!" she squealed as she smacked his head. "Put me down!"

"Hey, what the hell was that for!?" he groaned at her assault on his head.

She paused upon hearing his voice as he set her down. He looked at her as he rubbed his head. "Relax, Wendy." he said. "It's me, Natsu."

"N-Natsu?" she said, shocked. "Y-you're-"

"Yeah. I'm the one they call Salamander." he said. Erza and Hibiki suddenly began laughing hysterically.

"Oi! The hell's so funny, Erza!?" Natsu growled. "And you too, Hibki!"

Erza tried to speak through her laughter and while gasping for air. When she finally calmed down enough to speak, she said it plain and simple. "We never expected you to actually like that name!" she chuckled

"I don't!" he argued as they began laughing again. He just rolled his eyes and turned back to Wendy to find her giggling as well. His face was struck with grief.

"Not you too, Wendy!" he cried.

"S-sorry." she giggled.

"Now, Wendy," he said, getting back on topic. "What happened before in that cave."

He watched the girl's face shift to one of sadness. "W-well, it's a long story." she said quietly. Natsu noticed her anxiousness and fear, so he kneeled down.

"It's important that you tell us." he said. "That man, Brain. What did he need from you?"

She nodded and finally worked up the courage to tell them.

Wendy told them everything she saw and was told. From her birth father being Igneel and her mother's death. She also told them about how she apparently could use **Sky Dragon Slayer Magic**, allowing her to use spells for healing and strengthening others around her. Though when she got to the part about Jellal, she seemed to be more terrified. Not for herself, but for what she had done for the Oracion Seis, and turning Jellal against them. Natsu felt his teeth smashing together, as well as an aura of anger coming off of Erza. A lone tear traveled down her soft cheek as her voice quivered.

"It's not your fault, Wendy." Natsu said, putting his hand on the bluenette's shoulder. "We'll get him back."

The girl nodded, then looked at Erza. Her brown eyes widening upon seeing her infected arm. "Erza!" she cried. "Are you alright!?"

"O-oh, this?" she said. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Wendy broke away from Natsu and gazed at Erza's arm, and did the unexpected. She placed her hands over the scarlet haired girl's arm and closed her eyes. Large white scales appeared to be coming out of her back through her nightgown, as well as smaller ones appearing around her wrists and ankles. Though that part was different, scales of the same white color appeared on her face exactly like Natsu's. Her hair also changed to a pink color and seemed to grow slightly longer, as well wilder. As she opened her eyes, they had changed to the same pink color and had become more reptilian like. A greenish glow began to appear and the poison seemed to recede back to it's point of origin until it vanished completely. The three stared at the girl in shock.

Erza moved her arm around, surprised to find it was completely healed. Hibiki took one look at the scarlet warrior and then stared at the girl as she reverted back to normal. She looked at Erza, wondering if her efforts paid off.

"A-amazing," murmured Erza in awe. "I feel great!"

Wendy blushed at the praise, and then collapsed. Natsu thankfully caught her before she hit the ground.

"She must be extremely tired after using her powers for the first time." Hibiki questioned.

"How come we didn't feel that way when we first used our powers?" Natsu questioned the dark blond.

"I'm not quite sure to be honest." Hibiki said, rubbing his chin.

"Well anyway," Natsu said, looking down at his cousin/foster sister. He was confused what to think of her as now. He put that thought to the side and looked at his scarlet haired friend. Or he was supposed to be, but she had disappeared. He and Hibiki looked around frantically for her, but she was gone without a trace.

"Shit!" Natsu cursed. Then he remembered that Erza was now fully healed and she was probably going to join in on the fight and find Jellal. He looked back at Hibiki who sighed in defeat.

"If I know Erza, she's pretty tough and no one can mess with her without getting a beating." the pinkette said. "For now, let's go pay Lucy and Loke a visit."

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed!

Looks like little Wendy's in the club now! I think we all got the message from her that big things come in small packages, eh? I myself have some shorter friends who tell me that they'd prefer being tall. Lemme tell you that you shorter guys and gals have it easy. Being tall has it's advantages, but there are also disadvantages. I can never hide in a crowd now. ;-;

Also, we get the beginning struggle with Jellal's inner conflict, as well as the fight between Lucy and Angel! More to come in the next chapter!

Stuff that WILL appear in chapter 15:

\- Gray, Lyon, Sherry vs. Racer

\- Hoteye vs. Jura

\- Some stuff between Jellal, Brain, Cobra, and Erza :P

\- Other's being glimpsed at(possibly)

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	15. Ch15 - The Rise of Nirvana

Hey all! It's time for Chapter 15!

I went over the chapter a few times trying to decide the order of which to put a few of the scenes, but finally with a few tune ups, came up with this as you see! :D

Pls let me know how it came out! I know a couple might seem short and rushed, but I figured this little arc was a little behind lol, so gimme that juicy feedbacK! XD

Enjoy my lovelies! UwU

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

**_The Rise of Nirvana_**

* * *

Gray ran through the forest in the direction Lyon and Sherry were. Or at least he hoped they were. If he had to turn back around and search the entire mountain range for them, he was going to pummel that pink haired friend of his into the ground. He'd been running for a while now and still saw no sign of his foster brother or the pink haired woman with him. Thankfully, he hadn't run into any of the Oracion Seis either. If he was honest with himself, he didn't think he'd be able to take one of them down on his own. Though he was significantly stronger than when they first faced the Oracion Seis, he doubted it was enough of a difference.

As he burst into a clearing, he found just the two mages he was looking for: Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy. Throughout his time away, Lyon had earned the name, Sub-Zero Emperor, and rightly so. He'd continued developing his **Ice-Make Magic** after training with Ur and becoming one of the strongest ice mages in the world.

In the wizarding world, there were many powerful wizards, but there were a chosen few that were selected to become Wizard Saints, which were said to be the most powerful of them all. Currently, there were eight, with Jura seated at the bottom. In the short time Zeref had made artificial wizards and mages, Makarov had come to one of them. During the time of being principal for the school, he'd been absent for sometimes a month at a time, assisting the council in its attempts to stop Zeref. And from what Gray recalled, one of them was expelled after starting a fight with the man they called Gramps. It wasn't as large as the one they were facing right now, but if he'd succeeded, the damage done might have been irreversible. However, being a powerful wizard himself, Jura felt as though he was no match for Makarov in terms of strength or magic power. And Lyon was striving to become one of them.

Gray stared at his foster brother, who simply returned the gaze to him in kind. He noticed Sherry looking between them nervously, afraid they might start fighting at any moment. Before Gray could say anything, Lyon took the words out of his mouth.

"Relax, Sherry. We aren't going to duke it out," he said, turning back to Gray. "You're here to help search I presume?"

Gray nodded. "Yeah."

"What about your pink headed friend?"

"He went ahead." Gray answered, his eyes never leaving Lyon's. "He suggested I do so while he checked something out."

"Interesting…" Lyon hummed. "And just what might we need help with?"

"What do you think?" Gray shot back. "Now, lets get mo-"

In a flash, his legs were kicked out from underneath him, and the same happened to Lyon and Sherry. In between them stood none other than Racer, the speedy mage who had given him troubles when he first fought them.

"Once again, you're too slow." he remarked as he disappeared from sight, showing up behind Lyon and landing a kick to his side. But to his surprise, Lyon was ready for it. With quick thinking, he grabbed Racer's leg and used his other hand to perform a spell, but one Gray didn't expect.

"**Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!**" he yelled, as he pointed his other hand at Racer. His hand gave off an icy blue glow, and then a large tiger formed from ice and snow went right through Racer's body. Lyon smirked as his opponent was sent flying towards a tree. But of course, things weren't going to go exactly as he wanted. Racer vanished before hitting the tree and successfully landing a hit on Lyon's side.

Sherry, seeing Lyon in trouble, began her assault. "**Doll-Attack: Rock Doll!**" Suddenly, the ground morphed into stones, forming a large stone golem. One which Sherry was in complete control of. She ordered it to attack their speedy foe, and it swung it's large arms at Racer, who easily dodged it while yawning and leaning up against the tree. Sherry simply smirked and used another one of her spells. "**Doll-Attack: Wood Doll!**"

Before Racer could move, the tree he was leaning on morphed into a wooden creature and wrapped its branches. He struggled to move, giving Gray his chance. He gathered up his courage and put his fist in his other hand's palm, dropping them to his side.

"**Ice-Make: Lance!**" He yelled as he thrusted his hands forward. Multiple lances of ice growing from his hands, shooting towards his target. Just as it looked as though he'd land his attack, Racer disappeared in a flash. Gray cursed and glanced at Lyon. The white haired man nodded, getting the hidden message.

They both yelled in unison as they took their poses, "**Ice-Make: Rampart!**"

Racer smacked into a large wall of ice, one that encircled them completely. He frowned at their attempt, turning towards them Gray could see the annoyance written on his face as he disappeared again.

"Jeez, this guy doesn't slow down!" Gray sighed, aiming his next attack. Racer appeared and Gray launched another volley of lances. He'd yet to use his **Demon Slayer Magic**, but he didn't want to use it unless he had to. Lately he'd felt uneasy using it, like it was putting some type of strain on his soul. It was an understatement to say he worried, but he decided to put that to the side to finish this fight and save those around him.

Racer stopped in front of them. "Tch. You're starting to bug me." He said through gritted teeth. He raised his hand high and smirked. "Since you're so slow, I'll help you a little!" he swiped his hand down. "**Dead Grand Prix!**" The three mages suddenly heard the rumble of engines. They looked around, trying to find the source until strange looking motorcycles crashed through their barrier.

"Get ready for a motor show from hell!" he laughed as he hopped on a red one. Most of the others circled the three mages. Gray, bringing one to a stand still, hopped on. When he attempted to start it, he couldn't figure out how to start it. Then he saw a little wrist clamp with a tube going into the bike. He put two and two together quickly and clamped it to his right wrist. It lit up the dashboard and hummed to life once more.

Gray smirked and revved the engine, charging at the speedster. There seemed to be no weapons so he debated on how to attack Racer from his bike as they crashed through the ice barrier and sped off into the forest. He couldn't tell what Racer was thinking with this race as he began to gain on the speedster. He kept following him as they wound around trees and ended up back within the barrier. Lyon hopped on the back of his bike as he passed, causing it to wobble.

"Dude!" he growled. "The hell are you doing!?"

"You drive, I'll attack." Lyon said plainly as he corrected himself on the back. "It's the easiest way to take him down."

Gray sighed, nodded, and revved the engine, and gaining a little ground as Sherry's calls faded behind them.

"She's gonna be pissed, you know?" Gray smirked.

"I'll take her out to dinner or something when we get through this." Lyon said.

Gray chuckled. "Me too?" causing Lyon to roll his eyes.

"Very funny."

"I'm serious though," Gray said. "I'm starving."

"Just drive."

* * *

_With Lucy…._

Fighting a wizard wasn't as easy as she'd originally thought. Lucy had gotten a few licks in, but despite her efforts, she was getting wrecked. Angel seemed only like a pretty figure, but she had a bite that didn't match the bark. Her blows felt like they were shattering the blondes bones.

Leo and Aries didn't seem to be faring well either. They traded blows, both attempting to beat the other, but with regret and sadness hidden behind their determined faces. Lucy was pained even more by knowing they were forced to fight, let alone see them going at it.

She was beginning to lose her strength, but she knew what she was fighting for, so she pushed onward. She threw a punch at the woman, only to miss and get thrown into the river. She shuddered in the cold water.

Angel smirked, about to smash the blonde's head underwater to drown her, but she was smacked by a familiar pink headed fire mage.

Lucy looked up in surprise to find Natsu, along with Hibiki and an unconscious Wendy joining her.

Natsu extended his hand to her with a smile. "Need a hand, Luce?"

She nodded and gladly took it. "Thanks." she said smiling.

Angel hissed upon their interference and pulled out a silver key. She slashed it downwards and shouted, "Open, gate of the Chisel! Caelum!"

A little robotic orb hovered and hummed upon appearing. Natsu growled and charged it, narrowly escaping a blast of turquoise light. Though unfortunately, he hit a tree. As it broke and fell over, he got pulled down with it. Floating on it, he tried to stand, but to his and everyone's surprise, he puked.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried. "What's wrong with you?"

"Herrg!" he replied, avoiding releasing more of his previous meal. "Vehicleeee!" he groaned.

"That's not even a vehicle!"

"That's gotta suck with that motion sickness." Hibki cringed.

Angel smirked. "Although that was unintentional, I'm rather glad things worked out this way!"

Lucy growled in annoyance. Hibiki, deciding to step in, launched his own attack. He splashed Angel, causing her to look away, then he tripped her. Caelum responded in blasting him with a beam of energy, sending him flying into a large rock nearby. Then, it turned when Angel commanded it to do the unthinkable: it fired upon both Leo and Aries. The gaping holes that went straight through their bodies cause them to collapse. The blonde stared in horror as they began to dissipate into sparkling dust. She crawled over to them, but stopped when Leo held his hand up.

"L-Lucy, it's alright." he said.

She shook her head violently, tears in her eyes. "No it's not!" she cried. "You were just shot through your chest!"

"We'll be back." he said, smiling softly. "We're just returning to our gates to rest. Sure it hurts like hell, b-but we'll be fine."

"I don't care! You're hurt! I can't just let that go!"

Before he could say another word, Leo and Aries fully disappeared. Wiping her tears away, Lucy managed to pick herself up, looking at her other fallen friends, and began charging over and over again at Angel, getting knocked down every single time. The blonde began coughing up blood. The light bluenette sighed. "Just give up blondie," she remarked. "You're not going to be able to win."

"I h-have to." she muttered, wiping the blood off her mouth. "For Leo, Aries, Natsu, Wendy, and everyone else." she said shakely standing again. "I can't give up."

Angel knocked her down once more, and summoned the Gemini twins who transformed into Lucy once more. "Caelum, sword form." she said. The little robotic ball glowed and turned into a blade form of its former self. She ordered Gemini to wield Caelum, though something was different. From what Lucy could see, Gemini Lucy looked torn. She raised the blade upon hearing the command from Angel, but didn't swing it. Instead, to Lucy's surprise, she began crying.

"No." Gemini Lucy said, "I will not kill her. For all these years, we've never met a wizard who's cried and fought with such passion and meaning behind their words and actions. We won't, we refuse!" With that, both the Gemini version of Lucy, and Caelum, disappeared.

"You can't disobey me!" Angel exclaimed. "Come back!"

Suddenly, Hibkik came up behind Lucy and grabbed her head. She shuddered at the motion until he whispered tiredly into her ear, "Prepare yourself, Lucy. I'm going to teach you an extremely powerful spell to finish her off. We can't waste time."

Before she could answer, a surge went throughout her body, causing her to tense up. She felt the instructions being downloaded into her brain, mostly due to his archive magic. A surge of power flowed within her as she began chanting the incantation showing up in her head.

"**Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens… All the stars, far and wide… Show me thy appearance...With such shine. Oh Tetrabiblos… I am the ruler of the stars… Aspect to become complete… Open thy malevolent gate. Oh 88 Stars of the heavens…**"

As she chanted, a hole in the darkened sky appeared, revealing all eighty-eight of the constellations in the sky. The stars shining brightly and the power of the spell becoming evident. Lucy's eyes glowed when she opened them as she spoke the final words.

"**Shine! Urano Metria!**"

It was over in an instant. The astral beams rained down upon Angel, her screams rippling throughout the night. When the dust cleared, a giant crater now sat in the earth, water filling it from the river and carrying Angel's body with it. Though she wasn't dead, she was no longer able to move. She lay in the water as it pulled her as if destiny was putting her in her rightful place. She groaned a few words as she washed away with the current.

"My prayer…. To fade into the sky…. Like an angel…."

As they watched her float away, Lucy and Hibiki collapsed from exhaustion. Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, Brain felt one of the tattoos on his face vanishing. "It seems as though one of the Six Demons has fallen." he muttered to himself as he gulped and continued on his way.

* * *

_With Erza…._

With every step she took, the scarlet warrior appreciated Wendy's efforts so much more. She'd hated being left behind and watching her friends risk their lives without her being able to do something about it. She also wanted to put what Wendy and Natsu described to the test. She followed her gut as she ran through the trees, until a large black column of light appeared in the distance. Worried, she picked up the pace, running towards the light until she came to a large crater. Inside the crater stood a large tree within that column of black light, and standing before it was none other than Jellal conversing with someone. It was Cobra, staring confounded at the boy she'd called a friend. She didn't engage due to her own confusion at first, but decided to join in.

Cobra ignored her. "How the hell did you come across Nirvana!?" he exclaimed.

Jellal gazed at the newcomer, his eyes widening slightly. He spoke to her, ignoring Cobra's initial question. "I… I know you." he said.

"Jellal, it's me Erza!" she cried.

He gripped his head as if he was trying to remember something. "I-it hurts!" he groaned. "I see you people, and yet I don't know who you are to me! Why can't I remember!?"

"You work for Brain!" Cobra growled. "You work for the Oracion Seis! Remember the jobs Brain had you do when you were younger."

"Jobs?" Erza questioned, not understanding. "What is he talkin-"

When she looked at him, realization was written across his face. He'd come upon something. And by the looks of it, whatever it was wasn't good. Tears welled in his eyes. "N-no way! I-I can't have done these things!"

"Indeed you did, Jellal." another voice said from behind them.

When they turned to see who had joined them, it was of course the leader of the Oracion Seis: Brain. He was smirking as if he'd just won a prize of some sort. Jellal stared in confusion, sadness and anger. "Y-you made me do these things! Didn't you!?" he cried. "You made me want to!"

"Indeed, I did. But you yourself chose to complete those tasks."

"I-I did." Jellal murmured as he looked towards the ground. "Those people I murdered…"

Upon that last word, Erza's heart broke. She couldn't bear hearing him say that. Jellal, the one she'd known to be kind, responsible, and reliable; had killed innocent people? It was unthinkable and yet, he'd done it. She couldn't even speak.

Suddenly, the boy's face hardened. He stared angrily at Brain. "Although I don't remember much, I remember two things: one being that I was to guide you to Nirvana…"

"Yes, and you've done well, Je-" Brain was cut off.

"And two," Jellal continued, touching the tree's trunk, and a purple design started forming on it, as well as his chest. "My morals. My true wish, no matter what happened is to destroy Nirvana."

Brain's face melted to that of terror. "H-how!?"

"I remember now how you taught me magic when I was in that trance you forced upon me," he replied. "You taught me magic when you realized that I had a natural capability for it, teaching me many of your spells, including the one I'm using right now: **Square of Self-Destruction!** And to assure it's destroyed, I'll take myself down with it!"

Alarm spread over Erza's face when she realized Jellal was planning to destroy Nirvana by killing himself too.

"Jellal! Are you insane!?" she cried.

He looked at her, sadness and regret on his face. "I've killed innocent people, Erza. This is what I deserve."

She couldn't take it anymore. The girl walked up to him and slapped him, surprising him and the other two in their company.

"Do you really think that killing yourself is the answer!? That it will cover for those sins!?" He stared at her as she spoke. "You have friends to live for, friends who care about you! I will not allow you to escape from your sin!"

He frowned. "I knew you'd hate me. Who wouldn't"

"You misunderstand me." she remarked, tears welling in her eyes. "A wise wizard once said: 'We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.'" she said.

He looked at her before chuckling. "Did you seriously quote _Harry Potter_ right now?"

She nodded. "I think it applies at this moment." Staring into each other's eyes, she took his hands. "If you are carrying a burden," she said, "allow me to take part of it."

"Who said that?"

"I did, stupid." she said as the distance between them closed. Their eyes closed and lips crashing together as they held each other close. A million things were rushing to their heads as they separated, smiles upon their lips.

"Adorable, but ridiculous." Brain remarked, swatting Erza away with his staff. She cried out in pain as she hit the wall of the crater. Jellal angrily charged the man who only touched his chest with his staff, causing the **Square of Self-Destruction** to evaporate from his body, and from the tree. His eyes widened as he was smashed into the ground.

Brain smirked. "Yes, I indeed taught you the spell, but did you really think I wouldn't know how to dispel it as well? In fact, I'm the one who developed that spell when I was still with the Magic Council!"

The two attempted to get up, though Cobra pinned them both to the ground. Brain walked up to the tree and spread his arms in delight. "Now! Let the rise of Nirvana begin!"

* * *

_Earlier with Jura…._

Jura kept marching through the forest, setting his sights on finding Nirvana Immediately. Being one of the Wizard Saints, he felt it his personal duty to assure the ancient magic was destroyed. Though he had yet to figure out how. According to what the Magi Council had told them, there was almost nothing on it, other than it's danger level, frustrating him beyond belief. It didn't make sense on why no one recorded anything in regards to its purpose, or even what type of magic it was.

He sighed. "I just hope we can stop the Oracion Seis before they can use it."

"Well, that's going to cost you." said a voice, causing Jura to whip his head to his left. There stood Hoteye, the large man with the long orange hair. His face was rather strange where it held more geometrical forms with sharp angles. He donned a loose black shirt, with small dark diamonds on the wrists, and a large white collar over his shoulders. His brown pants went down to about halfway up his ankle, with the rest covered by white socks, and he wore brown loafers. He had a brown beaded necklace around his neck, and held a book with his left hand to his chest, making him look like some sort of preacher or missionary

"How so?" Jura asked, pointing to fingers upwards and holding his hand in front of his face.

"Nothing is ever free, no?" Hoteye replied. "That's why it pays to have money! Exactly!"

Jura stared in confusion."What?"

"Without money, no one can have happiness," the man sighed. "so you must keep earning money to buy that happiness, right?"

"I think you're mistaken in your philosophies." Jura said, pointing his fingers at his opponent. Two pillars of rock soared towards Hoteye, only to be turned to liquid at the flick of orange haired man's wrist.

"It seems as though we are evenly matched, Mr. Wizard Saint." Hoteye smirked.

Jura smirked back. "I think you're mistaken."

"You are correct! Since I have a greater love for money, I will prevail! Oh yeah!" Hoteye shouted, sending multiple tentacles of liquid stone at the bald wizard who stopped them with his columns of stone.

Hoteye smiled. "Impressive indeed-"

He was cut off when a tall column of black light shot into the sky. The two earth wizards gazed upon it, one with a face of fear, and the other with awe and wonder. Hoteye raised his hands in jubilation. "Alas, your efforts are for naught! Finally, Nirvana awakens in its first stage! Soon, we'll become rich beyond measure!"

Now with this turn of events, Jura was caught in a deadlock between defeating his opponent, or running to investigate Nirvana. But he was caught off guard when Hoteye began screaming in pain. He howled and thrashed about, his screams getting louder by the second. Jura prepared to fight, though he didn't know if it would help.

Then he stopped screaming, facing away from Jura, turning back to him with a strange face of… happiness?

"No money is needed, only love! Oh yeah!" he said with a cheerful face. Jura's jaw nearly hit the ground. He was confused beyond belief.

"Huh!?"

And much more to his surprise, Hoteye embraced him in a large bear hug. The bald wizard was in complete shock. "W-what's going on!?"

"Why dear me! You don't know about Nirvana's effects, do you?"

"No, I don't," Jura said as Hoteye put him down. With a cheerful grin, Hoteye began to explain.

"First off, you may call me Richard. Richard Buchanan." he said cheerfully. "You see, Nirvana was created in a time of war by a neutral tribe called the Nirvits. They were tired of war constantly ravaging the world, so they developed Nirvana to quell the negative emotions and turn them to positive. At first it was a success and the Nirvits built their home atop it, but it had horrible effects on them which they did not foresee. Nirvana did not only turn negative emotions to positive emotions, but it did the opposite as well, oh yeah! The Nirvits killed each other savagely until all but their chief remained. Horrified by it, he sealed away Nirvana, never to be used again, and the knowledge of it had faded into history. The only catch is how emotions are driven by. If they are of good intentions, the person will revert to the light or be left alone if they already are on that side of the coin so to speak."

"And the other side of the coin?" Jura asked worriedly.

Richard frowned. "If driven by evil and dark intentions, the people affected will be turned from light to dark if caught in the gap between the two, making them do horrible things like how the Nirvits met their end."

Jura shuddered. "If that power was used on the rest of the world…"

Richard nodded, his face holding a grave expression. "It could very well be the end of civilization as we know it. I want to help you, Jura, to stop my former comrades from completing this terrible goal."

Jura smiled. "Well, it's good to have you on board, Richard." he said as they shook hands.

"Yes! Now we shall stop them with the power of love! Oh yeah!"

* * *

Lol, I think I should do this now. Didn't want spoilers of any kind.:

_**I don't own Harry Potter either. Just felt that fit well**_ :P

So... what'd you all think? Feel like I need to redo it? Lemme know in some way shape or form :3 I'll get back to you asap. Thanks for reading! :D

STAY SAFE OUT THERE! BE ALERT, NOT ANXIOUS!

With luv,

WritingHobbyist2020

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's and their ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	16. Ch16 - Running Out of Time

Hey all!

I'm back with another chapter! I really hope you enjoy this one, though there's not much action. Let me know how you feel it was! :P

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

**_Running Out of Time_**

* * *

Gray soon wished that Lyon would have either got his own bike, or not come at all. Balancing the vehicle in this particular terrain was difficult enough without having a passenger. They kept closing the distance between themselves and Racer, but he'd just pull away and veer off whenever Lyon got a shot off. It was honestly starting to get on Gray's nerves. Luckily, they took a detour, despite Lyon's protest, and rammed into their opponent in the midst of a small valley area. Unfortunately, they also were knocked off. The other bikes that Racer had summoned whizzed by, attempting to crush them, but they managed to avoid becoming pancakes.

The two discarded the clothing on their upper body out of the habit gained from them training with Ur, and both shot off attacks which both made landfall on their target. Racer, however, seemed unharmed. Suddenly, Lyon tapped Gray's shoulder and whispered something to him. At first he was shocked to hear what Lyon said, but he sensed something in his voice. He understood what his foster brother was thinking in no time, though Racer noticed the two taking forever. Before the speedster could do anything, he shouted in a surprised and slightly angry tone, "What!?"

Lyon sighed. "I said I don't need you anymore, Gray. You're only slowing me down."

At that moment, the white haired man froze Gray in a large chuck of ice. It started growing taller and taller until the noirette was suspended in the air at the top of a large tower of ice. Racer was more or less surprised at this turn of events, not quite understanding, but he figured they were making a big mistake splitting their forces. He smirked at first, but his jaw dropped when he saw Lyon bolting into the forest behind him.

"Where the hell are you going!?" he growled, giving chase. If he'd not been paying attention, he'd have been skewered. He came to a stop right behind Lyon due to the Ice-Make mage's back being covered in multiple spikes of ice.

"How do you like my technique?" Lyon smirked. "It's my spell: **Ice-Make Hedgehog.**"

"A cheap trick for slowpokes like you!" Racer growled, kicking Lyon in his stomach. He sent the man flying, but he just created a stream of ice, allowing him to slide around the forest and avoid Racer more efficiently.

Gray was watching this using a spyglass he'd made from ice. He didn't particularly like the plan Lyon had come up with, but it was the only one at the moment that could help them identify exactly if the white haired mage's theory was correct. Somewhere along the way here, he'd begun to notice birds flying strangely in respect to their movement around Racer. His plan was to get him far from Gray so that the supposed range of Racer's magic wouldn't affect him, but still close enough for the noirette to launch a ranged Ice-Make attack.

They had been given access to magic telepathic wavelengths to communicate with the other groups, if they found anything, yet no one had used them yet. Though this made Gray worried, he figured that they should use the telepathic wavelengths to allow him to hear what was going on. He could hear the chatter between Lyon and Racer, as well as the pain the former was experiencing. Though he was a veteran mage, that didn't give him any protection against real pain. He watched as they exited the forest near the edge of a cliff. Gray got the feeling that now was the time, especially since he felt as though he was out of the range of Racer's influence. At least he hoped so, for Lyon's sake.

Lyon was now pinned to a log, with Racer holding an icicle to his throat. Gray could hear Lyon begin to explain Racer's magic and took that time to generate a bow made of ice. He concentrated hard and aimed carefully, releasing the arrow of ice to travel swiftly to Racer's chest. The so-called speedster mage was unable to avoid the attack, proving Lyon's theory correct. He landed on the ground, not moving, but still alive. Gray, seeing he'd landed a hit, made a ramp of ice as he slid towards Lyon's position.

Sherry too, in the time they'd been apart, had made her way to them. She hugged Lyon tightly, causing him to sigh, with a small smile. They turned to the fallen Racer, to hear him utter words.

"My prayer… to be… faster than anyone…"

"I originally figured that your magic increased your own speed," Lyon remarked. "But as I studied the surroundings, and some very well placed birds in the area, I deduced that your magic did not increase your speed, but slowed the perception of time of those around you. To put it simply, you slow others down rather than making yourself faster."

He turned to Gray, causing the noirette to raise an eyebrow. Smiling, he said only three words.

"Good shootin' Tex." he chuckled.

Gray's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the compliment. "Well, uh, thanks." he said, scratching his head. "It was your plan though."

"You executed that well for being out of practice. I can only guess your new magic is similar to your natural magic in ways you've yet to show me."

"You may be right." Gray smirked. "But I'll never tell unless you win in a sparring match against me!"

"Anytime, anywhere." Lyon smirked as they bumped fists.

It felt nice, spending time with Lyon again, although they'd done so mainly for the sake of the world. But he hoped they could fully reconcile after this was all over. Siblings aren't people you can easily replace, whether they're by blood or not. The years of neglecting to see each other had taken its toll, and Gray felt it was time to end it.

But naturally, destiny had other plans. Racer had gotten up finally and began laughing maniacally. He ripped open his jacket to reveal some sort of device. It began beeping and flashing, signaling it was a bomb of some sort. He stared at them, an evil grin over his lips.

"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" he cried as he ran towards them. Before anything could happen, however, Lyon pushed both Sherry and Gray backwards and jumped at the Oracion Seis member, and they both rolled over the side of the cliff. The two still on said cliff scrambled in panic to the edge just in time to see an explosion. Gray stared in horror at the smoke cloud, as Sherry screamed in agony and tears flowed from her eyes. Gray fell to his knees as his own tears fell.

_He's… gone. _He thought._ He's really gone._

Gray continued staring at the smoke cloud until he couldn't bear it anymore. He stood and shook Sherry out of her wailing fit. "Come on." he said, his head low.

She stared at him in anger and disbelief. "How can you say that? He's your brother! Don't you feel anything!?"

"Of course I do." Gray spat, causing her to shut her mouth. "But he wouldn't want us mourning over him, at least right now when our friends need our help. We can mourn him after we defeat the Oracion Seis." He began walking away into the forest, with Sherry following close behind. She trudged along, tears running down her cheeks. Just as they began moving, a column of black light shot into the sky. And little did Gray know that a growing dark presence had begun to stur behind him, as Sherry began to allow her mind to wander.

_Lyon is dead. Who killed him?_ She thought, staring at the ground. Her gaze trailed up to Gray, looking at the back of his head, her head filled with darkened thoughts. _His fault. He should have died. If he wasn't here, Lyon would still be alive. Yes. Kill him._

As she reached out for his neck, Gray whipped around and delivered a blow to her head, knocking her out unconscious. He picked her up and continued walking, wondering what he'd witnessed. _Only one thing must have caused this. _He figured._ Nirvana._ How was it that he guessed this? Just a guess, that's all.

And like that, he dashed off towards the black light, with an unconscious Sherry in his arms, and hopes of his friends being alright in his mind.

* * *

_With Natsu and the others…._

When Natsu woke up, he couldn't remember what happened, other than the nauseousness after finding Lucy and Loke/Leo. Speaking of which, who was he really: Loke or Leo? And why did it feel like his clothes were soaked? Random thoughts filled his head as his eyes wandered the scene for answers. He gazed upon the unconscious forms of Lucy, Hibiki, and Wendy, as well as three small, golden objects on the ground next to the river. He crawled over to them, his eyes showing him that they were indeed keys. Each design different from the others, each being extremely intricate and slightly mesmerizing. He heard a groan come from Lucy, forcing his head to whip in her direction, She sat up, rubbing her head, looking around. He grabbed the three keys and brought them with him to the blonde's side.

"Hey, Luce," he said, holding her up. "You alright?"

She nodded with another groan. "Y-yeah. My head is just spinning a little."

Suddenly, the keys glowed and in a flash, five forms appeared before them as both Wendy and Hibiki began to regain consciousness.

The first of which they instantly recognized to be Leo. His smile showed as if he'd just finished a satisfying nap after eating. The second being Aries who shivered in nervousness behind him. The next two were not exactly human, but two little blue alien looking creatures with different color pants. The last one seemed to be a dark skinned man with extremely short red hair on one side of his head and extremely short white hair on the other. He also appeared to have a metal, scorpion's tail coming out from behind him. He smirked and gave them a "rock on" sign.

As Natsu helped Lucy up, Hibiki and Wendy joined them, with the latter hiding behind Natsu and Lucy slightly. Leo spoke first out of the five.

"I told you we'd be fine." He said with a smile.

"I can see that." Lucy nodded. She smiled at Aries who gave a shy one in return. Then her gaze fixed on the three newcomers.

The first of the two little creatures spoke. "Hello again, Lucy!" It sounded like a little boy. "You might not remember us, but we're the Gemini Twins!" said the second one with the black shorts, with the sound of a little girl. "I'm Mini, and my brother is Gemi!" she said, gesturing to the one in the orange shorts who then spoke up. "That's me!"

Lucy smiled. "It's nice to see you two again." she said.

"And this is Scorpio!" they both said, gesturing to the dark skinned man, who struck a pose.

"That's me!" he grinned. "Scorpio is here, yeah!"

Natsu was confused. He didn't understand how Lucy could just be so chummy with all these new people who appeared out of thin air. Lucy, noticing his confusion, along with that of the other two present explained their whole ordeal, including _The Prophecy_.

"So, you're the queen of the Celestial Spirits." Natsu said, dumbfounded.

"Well, only if all twelve of the Zodiac give their seal of approval, as well as their king."

"Wow." Wendy said in awe.

"About that," said Scorpio. "I watched your fight with my previous master, Angel, and to say I was impressed was an understatement. You rock girl!" he said, grinning.

"We agree!" said Gemini. "And we could feel your emotions upon seeing Aries and Leo forced to fight each other." Said Gemi.

"Indeed, Piri-piri!" said Mini. "Personally, I feel you are worthy, don't you agree, Gemi?"

"Indeed, Piri-piri!" nodded Gemi.

"I totally agree with the Twins!" Scorpio nodded. "She's worthy indeed of working with us!"

"I told you all." said Leo, fixing his glasses with a smirk. "Besides, you already had my approval, Lucy, and Aries thinks so too." The pink haired woman nodded in agreement, peaking out a little.

"So, how does this work?" Hibiki asked. "How does her power come into play?"

"With every approval from each of the Zodiac spirits," Leo explained. "Her powers will be increased. She may call on us whenever she wishes, and we may help according to our magic levels. But the catch is she can only summon one of us at a time for the moment, otherwise she might exhaust herself or even worse." he said seriously.

The four gulped. Natsu glanced at the blonde, noticing her nervousness. Leo explained the rest of it and they each formed the pact in order to connect them, giving her golden keys with their Zodiac symbol. They would serve as conduits to help her contact and summon them for the time being. When she got strong enough, she wouldn't need to use the keys, and she would be able to summon two or even more if possible. The only problem was the seal on her natural magic, which was now breached due to making contracts with each of the four spirits(the Twins being a single spirit), allowing her to access only part of her magic power's potential.

"Well, that was surprising." commented Hibiki. He looked rather shaken upon the unfolding of Lucy's potential. Natsu looked over at little Wendy to see she was beaming at her older sister. Though he'd have liked to celebrate the blonde's newfound power, they still had a few problems to deal with: the Oracion Seis, and now what appeared to be the awakening Nirvana. And as far as he could tell, Nirvana was close. That, as well as the scents of two of their friends, and two of the Oracion Seis.

"We gotta move," he said. "I think Erza and Jellal are near Nirvana."

"He's right." Leo said. "We can discuss the rest of this later. For now, let's do what we came here to do."

With that, all the spirits except for Leo, vanished. The four ran, though Hibki separated from them to go find the rest of their groups. Natsu watched him go out of the corner of his eye, knowing that something wasn't right. Laxus, Gajeel, Eve, and Ren, all haven moved from their positions where he last sensed them. Shaking the worst case scenario out of his head, he continued charging towards the black light. Not far off, they came to a crater, seeing Erza and Jellal being pinned down by Cobra, while Brain stood in front of a large tree and the surging light.

He seemed to notice their presence, because he turned around, a grin on his face and laughed. "You're already too late!" he exclaimed with continuous laughter. "At long last, Nirvana awakens, and we shall be set free!"

"Piss off!" Natsu yelled, taking a step towards the cackling man. The ground began to rumble and shake. Confusion spread over Natsu and the others' faces and Cobra reluctantly let the two he had on the ground go, dashing to Brain and disappearing in a flash. The quaking seemed to get even more violent as the ground began to crack and something began rising from underneath the surface. Natsu and Leo helped their friends up as they all ran for their lives. Dashing through the forest in the complete opposite direction. Behind them, they could see a massive stone structure erupting from the ground, as well as extensions like the legs of a spider bending and lifting it out of the dirt. The black light disappeared over the center, and soon enough the entire thing was visible for all of them to stare in fear.

The gigantic structure seemed to be entirely made out of stone and had six legs protruding from its sides. It also seemed to have some sort of large hole in the front, which they took to be some sort of weapon. But they suddenly heard a voice, and one that was quite familiar, but a little staticy as if it was coming over the radio.

"Hello, hello! This is Hibiki."

Natsu looked around in confusion. "Hibiki!? Where are you!?" he asked, glancing around.

"I'm using my telepathy," Hibiki said with a sigh. "Now listen. I just met up with Jura and Hoteye. They found the others unconscious, and they're trying to wake them up. Everyone except Gray and Lyon are here." He filled them in on what Nirvana did as explained to him by Hoteye.

"Wait, seriously?" gasped Lucy.

"Yes." he replied, but he sounded upset. "It seems Lyon didn't make it."

Natsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Wendy looked confused but seemed to get the gist of it, while hugging Lucy. Leo looked down at the ground cursing under his breath while Erza and Jellal shared the same face as their pink headed friend.

"But the good news is that three of the Oracion Seis have been taken care of. You guys took out Angel; Gray, Sherry, and Lyon took out racer; and Hoteye has defected to our side." They heard a soft 'Oh Yeah' in the background. "Gray went on ahead, so Jura and Hoteye will be going after him. You guys listen carefully now. We already told Gray how to take this thing down when Hoteye gave us the info he had. He said there are magic lacrima in each of the joints of the six legs, that being six in total. If we destroy all six, Nirvana will be destroyed."

"Peace of cake." growled Natsu.

"But there's a catch," Hibiki continued, earning a groan from the rest of them. "We absolutely have to destroy all six at the same time."

"Well, how in the world are we supposed to do that!?" Lucy cried.

"Timing. Once I'm sure you all are in position, you must destroy the lacrima. They should be large orbs. You'll know them when you see them."

"Great, we're on our way." and just like that, Natsu took off running, leaving them in the dust.

"What is he doing!?" Jellal growled. He scooped up Erza and rocketed after the boy in hot pursuit, finding it a little hard to keep up this time.

Lucy, Wendy, and Leo stared at their friends a little while before realizing that they needed to go. But Lucy stopped, remembering Wendy was still here. She turned to Leo.

"Listen, Leo," she said. "Take Wendy home quickly. Get her as far away from here as possible." The little bluenette tugged on her sister's shirt and shook her head.

"I can't leave!" she cried. "I have this… power that I can use to help you guys!"

"But-"

"No! I won't lose you! Or Natsu, or anyone!" she said, trying to show her determination. "I want to help… no. I'm going to help you guys take those people down!"

To be honest, this surprised Lucy. She didn't expect to see this from the shy girl she'd known so long. With an irreversible smile, she nodded and hugged the girl tight. Then together, they ran towards unknown danger.

* * *

_With Natsu..._

As Natsu ran, he couldn't wait to unleash his anger upon the remaining Oracion Seis. He didn't know Lyon well, but the fact that he was Gray's brother was enough of an excuse to pummel the rest into oblivion. He wasn't sure why, but these feelings of his were aimed at avenging their comrades death. He wondered how Gray must be feeling at this moment.

As he reached Nirvana, he leapt onto its leg and scrambled up the steep climb with such swiftness, he even surprised himself. As he climbed, he could see Jellal rocketing towards him in the distance, and he turned to see a strange sight at the top of the leg. It was a city, and one that was older than anything he'd ever seen. The buildings were crumbled, but still stood as if they were perfectly preserved. He ran into the city, seeing a large tower in the middle, and catching a whiff of three familiar scents. Growling, he dashed towards the scent of Cobra with his snake, and Brain. He almost made it when his sixth sense kicked in, and he was kicked in the ribs. He cried out in pain as he went flying into the wall of a building. Pain seared all across his body as he glanced at his attacker, smirking and cracking his knuckles.

"You know what?" Cobra said as his snake hissed. "I'm starting to get really annoyed at you and your buddies getting in our way all the time."

Natsu managed to get up, creating fire in his palm. "Oh yeah? Well maybe you shouldn't be trying to cause all this pain and chaos!" he growled, throwing hsi flaming fist at his opponent, who had already moved before he could make a hit.

"I heard that." Cobra grinned, grabbing Natsu's face and smashing him into the nearest building. He continued to do so for a little while until the pink haired boy finally managed to escape. He glared at Cobra before wiping his head around and inhaling slightly.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" he yelled as he breathed out a spiral of flames. It hit dead on target and released an explosion. But to his surprise, he heard Cobra laughing.

"You didn't really think you had me, did you?" he laughed as his eyes glowed purple. He thrust his hand through the flames, grabbing Natsu's neck and lifting him off the ground. But what disturbed him the most was Cobra's arm. It was much different. His fingernails were now longer and black. All the way up his arm, as the fire died out, the outer part appeared to be covered in crimson scales, darker and more ominous than his own, while the inner part resembled the underbelly of a snake. It never occurred to him that the only magic this guy had was mind reading or whatever the hell it was.

Cobra grinned like a kid receiving every present he could ever as for. "It looks like you didn't predict there being a dragon slayer among our ranks! So, let me introduce myself formally to you. They call me Cobra, and I'm a Poison Dragon Slayer!

* * *

That's a wrap! Once again, I hope you enjoyed! It's been too long since I updated, but I'm sure you all can guess why. I might not be posting a new chapter for the rest of this whole week for any of the stories(unless I just do because I feel driven to). So see you all later! UwU

STAY SAFE OUT THERE! BE ALERT, NOT ANXIOUS!

With luv,

WritingHobbyist2020

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's and their ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	17. Ch17 - The Six Prayers' Secret

Hey y'all!

Sorry it took so long to update, I was working out the plot for both this story and Bleeding Out, while taking a short hiatus. Speaking of which, I wanted to get at least this chapter out before Easter, just so it's out there for all of you lovely people.

I want to say thank you to all of you out there who've been reading my stories. I not only do this for my enjoyment, but for all of you to enjoy as well. I think I speak for every writer when I say that. Once again a HUMONGOUS thanks to all of you, and I hope you have a very happy Easter weekend! UwU

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

**_The Six Prayers' Secret_**

* * *

Natsu knew he wasn't the only dragon slayer, that being evident by Laxus, Gajeel, and Wendy, but finding out Cobra was also a dragon slayer, and a poison one was simply annoying as hell. Why did Zeref have to go and try to create artificial wizards? That one-of-a-kind ass had really done it now.

Cobra's grip was quite strong, making it extremely difficult to escape from. But that wasn't the only problem. A cloud of red particles began seeping from the man's mouth, entering Natsu's nostrils. He suddenly felt weaker, like his energy was being sucked from him. Struggling to escape, he attempted a roundhouse kick to his face. Of course, Cobra caught it like he knew it was coming. Getting tired of this game, and starting to feel weak from the poison draining his life away, Natsu growled and did the unthinkable. He bit into Cobra's hand.

Cobra howled as he let go of Natsu's face, giving the boy time to distance himself for an attack.

"Let's try this again!" he said, rearing his head back. "**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" Another spiral of flames shot from his mouth at his opponent, who just returned the favor.

"Nice try! **Poison Dragon's Roar!**" Opening his mouth, a spiral of that crimson poison shot out and clashed with the fire. After the attacks dissipated, Natsu stared down his opponent. A rumble sounded as they both turned to witness one of the legs raising up, presumably moving and heading to wherever it's destination was.

Cobra smirked. "Finally," he said, turning to Natsu. "In about one hour, Nirvana will be in place among the city of Magnolia, and all those caught in between the light and darkness will be affected!"

Hearing that just ticked the pink haired boy off. They had to stop this thing before it could reach magnolia. Since it was so large, he had no doubt it might take under an hour to reach it rather than Cobra's prediction. He took a step forward and almost passed out. After leaning up against a wall, he looked at his hands, realizing they were going limp. He started to lose consciousness as he tried to stay standing, with Cobra laughing in the background. Combined with his motion sickness, he felt as though he was in hell.

"Hooow are yoou not sick?" he grumbled.

Cobra laughed as he stroked his snake's head. "You're just too weak to take it!"

Just as Natsu's legs went limp, he felt something grab the back of his vest. His legs were no longer touching the ground, his droopy eyes looking down at Cobra's now confused face. Turning his head behind him and seeing the strangest thing behind him. It was a blue, flying cat. At this point, he was less surprised than he would have been, but then the cat started talking.

"Natsu! Snap out of it!" it said. It's voice seemed to be that of a young boy. Natsu managed to pinch himself to take a reality check. He was still awake, confirming he was being held up by a flying, talking blue cat.

"Whoo're yoooouu?" he said, slurred from his body going numb.

"What do you mean!?" he said, sounding hurt. "We've been best friends for years! It's me, Happy!"

At this point, Natsu wasn't sure if he heard that right. Happy? As in his cat, Happy? No way. As far as he knew, Happy was sleeping on his bed at Lucy's, and certainly not carrying him through the air.

"Hooow?"

"Happy, we can tell him later." said a female voice. It sounded funny, like she had an accent. Next to them, a white cat flew beside them. She seemed rather annoyed, but she was also holding a familiar face. Wendy waved at him with a small smile. She must have been using her magic again since he was starting to feel better and since her scales were out with her now pink hair. He stretched as he felt both the poison leaving his body, and the motion sickness wearing off. Taking another look at the felines, they had two white wings each coming from behind their back.

He smirked realizing something. "As long as I don't touch that thing, I should be fine!" he said cracking his knuckles. "Happy, or whoever you are, are you ready to help me beat this guy?"

"Aye sir!" the blue feline chirped.

"But first, I want to try something." Natsu said. He concentrated and thought of the most ridiculous thing he could. Cobra stared for a minute, then burst out laughing, confusing both the white feline and Wendy, who was dangling tired in the other feline's grasp.

"What the hell is that!?" Cobra roared with laughter. "That was the lamest joke I've ever heard!"

"Then why are you laughing?" asked Happy, giggling.

"Because it's stupid of course!" Cobra laughed as he thrusted his hand outwards towards them. "Now, just die already! **Poison Dragon's Scales!**" As he said that, small scale-like shapes formed out of the poison particles and shot at Natsu, Wendy, and the felines like bullets from a CIWS Gatling Gun. They narrowly swerved around, avoiding the scales as Natsu fired back small bursts of fire. They climbed higher as the scales dissipated around them, thinking Cobra couldn't follow them. Boy did they feel stupid, as well as shocked, when Cobra met them in the air on his snake. Only now did it have wings.

"Huuuh!?" they cried.

"Thought you could get away, Salamander!?" He fired off another barrage of scales as the four attempted to dodge them.

"How can that thing fly!?" Natsu cried.

"Ask your flying cats!" Cobra smirked as he crossed his arms like an alligator's jaws. "**Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!**" Two large snake jaws of the red poison formed in the air in front of him and shot towards Natsu.

Wendy jumped in to save him with the help of her flying cat. "**Sky Dragon's Roar!**" A whirlwind came from her mouth, blowing the poison fangs away as if they were dust bunnies.

"Impressive! The little girl shows her fangs as well!" Cobra commented as he jumped into the air doing a flip to avoid the remnants of Wendy's attack. "Nevertheless, it's futile to fight me! **Poison Dragon's Spiraling Fang!**" A giant serpent of poison formed, slithering through the air towards Wendy, which Natsu batted away with a flaming kick, though he didn't come out unscathed. The poison wafted into his lungs again, causing him to feel weaker.

Cobra growled as he jumped at Natsu and grabbed his head again. The poison seeped into his nostrils again as they went spiraling down towards Nirvana, and Natsu's face getting closer by the second to being smashed in. He tried thinking, but that didn't work. Then something occurred to him. Cobra kept saying that he could hear his thoughts. So, he shut off his mind and did what he did best: improvise.

Inhaling and giving it his all to tap into his dragon slayer magic, he managed to let out a sound that no one would have imagined. He released a deafening roar as they came upon the ground, one that sounded as though it came from a real dragon. Cobra's screams of pain were inaudible as they crashed to the ground in a large puff of dust.

As it cleared, Natsu sat on the ground panting and looking rather green again. Cobra was laid out and out of breath. He muttered some words before fainting. "My prayer... I... just wanted to hear the voice of my one friend... Cubellios." As he said that, said purple serpent slithered up to him and nudged his head, glancing at the sick dragon slayer beside him. Natsu, though he wanted to puke, held it in and stood shakily. Walking away from Cobra. Happy flew down and picked him up, allowing Wendy to heal him once more. She no longer fainted, but she would tire easily from using her healing.

"Are you alright, Natsu?" she asked worried. He nodded "Yeah, I'll be alright. Now let's go find our friends." They slowly floated through the city looking for signs of their friends while recuperating their strength.

* * *

_With Jellal and Erza…._

Jellal and Erza had seen from the air what Nirvana looked like and saw flames which they assumed were Natsu's. Just as they were going to help, Jellal felt a strange presence. His eyes narrowed and he sped off towards it. Erza looked at him with worry, considering she sensed it too.

"Which one do you think it is?" she asked, not sure which of the final three Oracion Seis members they were headed towards.

"From what I can tell, it's more than likely to be Midnight," he said, frowning. "Natsu seems to be doing fine on his own for now, but we should take out one while we're here. Then we can stop this thing."

"Shouldn't we just break the lacrima instead?" She questioned, to which Jellal shook his head.

"They'd take us out quickly that way. If we take them out now, one by one, we can still take these things down." he answered. "Remember, we have to destroy all six at the exact same time. If they gathered up at one, it'd be game over even if we outnumbered them."

"Good point." the scarlet haired girl nodded. If they were to attack them separately and take them out of the picture, then they could take out the lacrima no problem. As they came to a stop in the city upon Nirvana, they looked around for their opponent. A shift in magic energy caused them to whip around facing in the direction of the tower. From that way, who should come to face them but Midnight, yet he was walking and his eyes were open.

"Good point." the scarlet haired girl nodded. If they were to attack them separately and take them out of the picture, then they could take out the lacrima no problem. As they came to a stop in the city upon Nirvana, they looked around for their opponent. A shift in magic energy caused them to whip around facing in the direction of the tower. From that way, who should come to face them but Midnight, yet he was walking and his eyes were open.

They'd recognized his power to be great when he was dozing off, yet now it seemed to exceed even that. His black lipstick covered mouth twisted into a smirk. A breeze blew and the small bells on his strands of hair braided at the front jiggled with it. "You've done well to make it this far and take out three of our own." he said. "You've got father worried that you'll wake _him_ from his slumber."

The two took their stances, ready to fight. "What do you mean by _him_?" Jellal asked.

"It would be a waste of time and energy to explain." Midnight said with a sigh. "Now, let's get to the part where you die, alrighty?" He waved his arm at Erza about to launch an attack.

"Oh no you don't!" the blue haired boy yelled, pointing his arms at the man. Multiple beams of light shot at Midnight, who simply waved his arm and they dispersed around him. With another quick wave, Jellal was knocked to the ground and coughed up blood. Erza charged in fury and yelled, "**Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!**" In a flash, the armor appeared upon her, and she slashed at Midnight while all he did was raise an eyebrow. Before her attack could hit him, she felt her arm forcefully stop. The armor suddenly began to morph and wrap tightly around her. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as it continued to compress her body.

Jellal attempted to get up, but he was exhausted from using the **Square of Self-Destruction **and** Meteor**. "Get away, Erza!" he cried, desperately trying to reach out to her.

Midnight chuckled at his utter failure to continue fighting. "You know, it's quite sad to see you lying on the ground while your friend is being crushed to death." he said. But then a sword appeared out of nowhere and flew at him. Narrowly dodging it, his eyes turned back to Erza with annoyance.

"You simply don't give up, do you?" he grumbled. Walking over to her. Suddenly, the sword came back at him, and then another one. Unfortunately for him, the second one hit it's mark, but just barely. He leaned backwards and turned his head to the side just as the blade pierced his cheek, slicing it as it flew past him. After righting himself, he felt the blood dribble down his cheek, growling in anger.

"You little bit-" He was instantly silenced by a swift kick to the head by the scarlet-haired girl and sent flying into a building. He was starting to get really annoyed now, and with a growl, Erza felt something coming her way and attempted to sidestep it. She cried out as it slashed at her waist, creating a gash in her abdomen. She keeled over, holding her wound carefully, using her free hand and yelled, "**Blumenblatt!**" summing multiple swords in the air and sent them flying in multiple directions at her opponent. This seemed to do the trick and left Midnight with multiple cuts and wounds across his body.

She hissed and charged him wielding two of her swords. She slashed in fury at him missing every time. He smirked and stuck her with a punch to the gut, sending her flying backwards. She coughed up blood as her requip disappeared into a rather plain looking chest plate. A blue skirt was underneath and she had brown combat boots as well. It looked rather simple, and it left Jellal and Midnight wondering what purpose it had.

However, Midnight simply laughed. "Did you really think you stood a chance against me?" he chuckled, waving his arms as their surroundings changed. A bell could be heard in the distance, and it rang an almost eerie tone. It had already been harder to see things considering how late it is, though they'd managed well so far. But something just seemed to set off all the warning flags within her mind at that moment. As the bell rang, she started to picture what was going to happen, her eyes widening when she pieced together the puzzle.

"The fear on your face tells me you figured it out." Midnight said, his form darkening and his eyes glowing red. Jellal was panicking. He tried getting up, only to fall again. "There's a reason why my code name is Midnight," he said, his voice slowly getting deeper and more intimidating. "It's because my magic is strongest at midnight!" His body grew to become the form of a huge monster. He laughed maniacally as He crept closer to the injured girl.

However, instead of fear, she held resolve on her face. Erza stood shakily, calling out, "**Requip: Robe of Yūen!**" This time it was a purple set consisting of a short sleeveless tunic decorated by many flower motifs, slightly revealing openings on the sides, exposing some of her chest, held closed by both a large, dark obi, which has a thin red rope tied around it and sports a wide closing ribbon on the back, and by a lighter, smaller white belt, which are both wrapped around a pink, flower-patterned cloth circling her waist on the back and the sides.

Midnight laughed. "I don't know what that outfit is supposed to do, but it's useless!"

"I could say the same for your **tricks**." she spat, steadying the lance in her hands. A red spot formed on the clothes from her wound, yet she stood firm.

"What on earth are you talking about?" he asked, confused. "Whatever, it won't matter since you're about to die!" He lunged at her, which she sidestepped, smacking the poll on his head. He groaned and hit the ground hard, he got up and the scenery faded. He looked fearfully at her.

"H-How!?" he stuttered. "How did you figure it out?!" She only lunged at him and delivered an open palm blow to his body and knocked him unconscious with another blow to the head.

Jellal stared in shock at her accomplishment, yet he still didn't understand what just happened. She looked at him as she helped him up.

"How did you do that?" he asked bewildered.

She shrugged. "I saw his magic for what it really was." she replied. "A small voice in my mind told me to trust my instincts and what I see. I also saw through his illusion in reality as well."

"You what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't fully understand it myself, but what I saw turned out to be an illusion of light being refracted in the air. I could suddenly see the truth and not the monster he made himself to be."

"That's… confusing. And I mean in every sense of the word." he chuckled earning a nod from her.

"Come on, let's go find the others and finish this, together." she said, helping him walk deeper into the ancient city.

* * *

Gray was certain he found a way inside the massive city. Well, how wouldn't he. But he was certain he was now at the entrance to the paths leading him to the lacrima. He was determined to finish this before anyone else was lost.

Suddenly, he heard familiar voices behind him, as well as the sounds of a fight. He looked around to see Lucy and none other than Leo or Loke, whichever one he truly was. They came to a stop before him, and upon seeing the honey blond male before him after all this time, he just wanted to punch the guy. And that's just what he did. The two stared at him in shock, even after he brought Leo into a bro-hug of sorts. Smirking at their confused faces, he spoke.

"Next time you have a secret that big, just tell me dude." Leo sighed with a smile while rubbing his cheek.

"I guess I deserved that." he chuckled. "But now, let's get on with the mission." The three nodded, but immediately turned to face the large man and leader of the Oracion Seis: Brain. The three backed away slowly as they readied themselves for a fight. Brain flinched as an explosion went off, confusing them. One of the marks on his face slowly began to fade away.

"Damn it." he muttered. "It seems Cobra has fallen."

"Indeed it is so." said a familiar deep voice." They all turned to face Jura, as he stared down their foe. His face was stone cold and ready for a fight. "And you shall also be defeated, and by my hand." He finished, getting into a fighting stance.

"You know, I've been wanting to fight you as of late," Brain retorted. "But it will not be me who falls!" he launched a green blast at Jura who flicked his hand up. Stone pillars shot up from Nirvana's surface and blocked the attack. Brain smirked and yelled, "**Dark** **Capriccio!**" a beam of darkness shot out of the staff in his hand, breaking through the pillars with ease and forcing Jura to dodge. But when he seemed to be out of danger, the stream of darkness bent and shot towards him once more.

Grunting, he raised at least ten or so columns, just before it got to him, stopping it at the first column. However, it was not enough as the attack started to slowly crack the columns of rock one-by-one.

"Being a Wizard Saint doesn't make you special, Jura!" Brain mocked. "I've heard you were strong, yet this is all you have? I must say, it's rather disappointing!"

Jura's eyes narrowed then shut. He seemed to be the rock columns broke apart, and the pieces shot at a now alarmed Brain. They encased him in a tomb of rubble. And exploded quicker than they could react to the first part of the attack. As Brain hit the ground, a cry could be heard in a distant part of Nirvana, one which they deduced was Midnight, meaning someone had defeated the last of the six. Brain now lay on the floor as both of the remaining marks on his face disappeared.

"This confirms my suspicions," Jura said worriedly. "Those marks represented the six members of the Oracion Seis."

Lucy stepped over to him. "What could it mean?" she asked.

"I don't know that, but what I do know is that it is a type of magic called **Organic Link Magic**. It's been used as a seal for something."

"But for what?" Gray wondered. They'd already unsealed Nirvana, which they now had to shut down, but yet something didn't sit right with him.

"Z...r..o" Brain muttered, his face pale. "Zzz..r."

Jura knelt down to Brain's side. "What are you saying? Tell us, now!" Jura demanded. Gray and the others were worried since he seemed much more worried than before.

Brain began to laugh. It was a tired and weak laugh, and yet it still caused them nervousness. "You fools have awakened the beast. The Oracion Seis' leader will destroy you all, as well as us." he said. "Zero is awakening!"

His fist shot up, knocking Jura into the air. He stood, glaring at them as his skin turned paler. His eyes turned red and his grin turned malicious. He threw down his staff, shattering it into splinters of wood and bone. He somehow seemed bigger than before as he cracked his knuckles.

Gray, sensing this new danger, starred in fear at this new threat. He activated his **Ice Demon Slayer Magic**, ready to duke it out with this guy.

"I am Zero! Guild master of the dark guild, Oracion Seis!" he said to them. "Now, tremble in fear, and Die!"

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading! Take care, be safe, and once more have a happy Easter! UwU

STAY SAFE OUT THERE! BE ALERT, NOT ANXIOUS!

With all the luv,

WritingHobbyist2020

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's and their ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


	18. Ch18 - The Heart's Desire

Hey all my peeps! Just want to let you know, we're nearing the end!

Thank you so much for following along with this story of mine! I do say, however, just because I said we're nearing the end, doesn't mean the story is over yet. ;)

NOW MY FRIENDS, LET THE STORY COMMENCE!

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!**_

Key for story(More will be added **IF **needed):

**BOLD** \- anger, attacks, surprise

_Italic_ \- thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and _The Prophecy_

* * *

_**The Heart's Desire**_

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Between the remnants of Cobra's poison and the motion sickness, Natsu wasn't feeling up to do anything. Wendy, though she was a dragon slayer as well, seemed to be fine walking on Nirvana. He gazed upon the two felines who had come to their rescue as Wendy attempted to remove the last of the poison. Happy and Carla, the two felines, went on to explain they were exceeding, not normal cats. They had always had their magic, and had been watching over them all this time. They were both around the age of six, ageing like a normal house cat. Carla explained that they knew Igneel, and he was the reason they were there, though they had taken a personal liking to each of them respectively. Carla seemed to be a little more proper than Happy, who seemed more playful and less focused. He'd been eating fish whenever Carla was talking.

"Happy, will you please put that down!" she said annoyed.

"Wrat?" he said with a mouthful of fish. "Ish tashy." The white feline rubbed her forehead in response. They heard explosions in the distance, seeing a familiar body flying into a building. Natsu attempted to stand, but in the process almost puked his brains out. "Hmgf."

Wendy, being the caring person she was, helped him stand up straight. Natsu was utterly grateful for the girl's help, but was confused when he noticed her making a strange face. She seemed to come to a realization of some kind, and pressed her hand to his chest, uttering a word with her eyes closed. "**Troia.**" It took a few seconds to register, but suddenly his motion sickness disappeared. He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming it up since it seemed too good to be true, and thankfully it was. He gave a thank you, then jumped up into the air with a loud whoop, and took off towards the explosion from earlier.

His previous happiness of being cured faded to that of worry as he sped towards whatever was going down. The one they saw earlier was Jura, so he knew the enemy must be powerful to send him flying. His nose and ears were detecting who was in that area. From those two senses, he knew Lucy, Gray, Leo/Loke, and Jura were over there, as well as Brain. But something changed. He was picking up one scent and voice he did not recognize from either his friends, or their enemies. He heard the newcomer announce himself loudly, saying. "I am Zero! Guild master of the dark guild, Oracion Seis! Now, tremble in fear, and die!"

Now, he was mad. No one threatened his friends. Jumping over the buildings between him and whomever was over there, he let out his battle cry, which just happened to be whatever was going through his head.

"Oh, fuck no!" Natsu yelled, lighting his fist ablaze and coming down hard at Zero. But to his surprise, the man caught him, holding him up by his arm. He looked similar to Brain, but with lighter skin and no facial tattoos. Plus, he was slightly larger and he had red eyes, making him straight up creepy looking. What disturbed him even more was when he smirked at him. The man's face twisted into one of pure delight.

"You seem like you might be able to last more than five seconds against me!" he said, throwing the pink-haired boy into the ground. Natsu watched from the small crater he now sat in as Gray charged Zero, only to be swatted away as if he were only a fly. Leo and even poor Wendy were knocked away without breaking a sweat. Natsu tried to get up but was slammed deeper into the crater. He could hear Zero's howls of laughter as he gazed upon them. The pink-haired boy lifted his head to get a glimpse of their enemy, who had a grip on Lucy's head. She was crying out in pain as he squeezed and Natsu couldn't take it. He roared in anger and landed a hit to Zero's abdomen, causing him to drop the blonde. Thankfully, Natsu was able to catch her before she hit the ground. Noticing Zero's ongoing onslaught by a sharp pain in his back, he wrapped his arms around her in a sort-of protective ball as they went flying into a building.

Natsu couldn't move. Everything felt broken. It felt like he had failed as he felt Zero's presence disappear. Lucy was trying to get up, calling out his name and for him to wake up as his eyes fluttered, trying to stay open. Moments later, a crash of lightning sounded. _Laxus_. He thought. He felt something cold and hard pick him up. _Gajeel._ The black-haired dragon slayer held him up as Wendy hobbled over and began healing them. They were all gathered now. Leo had gone back to the celestial realm to regain strength, leaving Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and himself the only four left to heal. Wendy, thankfully wasn't hurt, manipulating the air around her to soften the impact. He was surprised at the girl's resourcefulness and quick thinking. She was catching on faster than he and the other slayers had. Shortly, Erza and Jellal joined them, with Gajeel and Laxus giving the latter of the two a hard glare.

They were all filled in on how Brain had Zero sealed within him, though they didn't know why. Wendy also took the time to clear up everything regarding what Brain did to him. If it caused a problem for them then, it could still pose a significant threat. Erza seemed to be the only one who thought otherwise. Laxus walked up to the scarlet-haired girl, staring her down menacingly.

"Erza, he should be confined for now." he said, eyes narrowed.

Erza stood her ground. "How can you say that about your own friend, Laxus?"

"We have a job to do. I don't like having to say it, but If he causes a problem and endangers one of us…" Natsu knew it sounded harsh of him, but he knew even Laxus didn't want to say that much.

"**I dare you**." she growled, summoning a sword in her hand, and Jellal silently standing beside her with his head hung low in despair.

"You know I don't want to." he continued, looking at the blue-haired boy. "While we search for the lacrima, you will watch him."

Erza's expression did not change. Jellal looked up at Laxus who was still eyeing him. Natsu could see the frustration in Laxus' eyes. He didn't want to have to restrain the boy, but he was concerned for the safety of the others. They eventually got past that point and divided up into their groups: Natsu; Lucy, Happy, and her celestial spirits; Wendy and Carla; Gajeel and Laxus; Gray; and Erza and Jellal. With Hibiki's help, they each took off into Nirvana's catacombs towards their respective lacrima. They were sure that Zero would be guarding one of them, so they had to be wary. They had Wendy only perform minor healing on them to save her energy in case things went south, though Natsu couldn't help but worry for the bluenette's safety.

As he raced down the halls of the maze within Nirvana, he could feel the ever growing magic presence of the lacrima. They were running out of time, and every moment they didn't destroy these lacrima was a risk of it reaching Magnolia. He tore down the hall, eventually finding himself within a large, open room. In the middle wedged inside of a pillar was a large, brownish orb. The magic power coming from it confirmed his suspicions, as well as a familiar figure. The pink-haired boy got into a fighting stance as Zero walked around from the other side of the lacrima, clapping his hands slowly.

"What luck! I get to destroy you once more!" he laughed. 'I have to be honest with you, I didn't know which one of you rodents would come my way, but I am completely satisfied with fighting you!"

"You think you're going to destroy me?" Natsu chuckled. "That's a laugh!" He charged at the man, lighting his fist ablaze. "**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" The blow made contact with Zero, yet he barely budged an inch. He opened his mouth to utter a spell, though Natsu had a decent amount of time to use Zero's face as a springboard. Swinging his legs at him, he yelled, "**Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!**"

Zero grunted as the brute force of the attack sent him to the ground, and Natsu got far enough away to prepare for any attack the man might throw at him. The large man shot off two streams of darkness from his hands, twisting and turning in every direction as Natsu attempted to evade them. The man cackled and laughed as he did so. "You run well! You have potential to be stronger, but I cannot allow that to be so!" He shot off another stream, hitting Natsu's abdomen and sending him into the wall. He coughed up blood for what felt like the millionth time that day as he fell and hit the floor. He felt himself being lifted up and thrown across the room hitting the opposite wall. Although he was in pain, he mental thought about what Gray would say if he saw this. Grunting and forcing himself to stand once more, he charged as flames swirled around him. If I don't give it my all and take this guy down, he thought. All our efforts will have been for nothing. So, he charged into an uncertain fate as he rushed the large man, hoping it wouldn't end up with him being six foot under.

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_With Jellal and Erza..._

It didn't take long for Erza and Jellal to find their lacrima, and they marveled at its size. The giant brown orb in the room stood out, considering most of Nirvana was a tanish and tarnished stone, along with marble and quartz on the inside of the room they were now in. Seeing the blue-haired boy was still looking distressed, she sighed and stopped halfway to the lacrima. She made sure Jellal was able to stand before doing anything else, then she slapped him across the face.

"Snap out of it!" she barked. He looked at her in surprise. "Stop blaming yourself already!"

Jellal hung his head. "But Laxus is right. What if I can't be trusted? What if Brain attempts to use me again!?"

"It doesn't matter," Erza replied, holding his face to face hers. She pressed their foreheads together. "Your heart is stronger than his magic. He can't take hold of you anymore, and you'll always have us by your side. We'll stand by you, no matter what." She said. He chuckled. Erza planted a kiss on his cheek before heading towards the lacrima. She concentrated on linking herself to Hibiki's magic flowing through them.

"Jellal and I have reached our lacrima." she said, looking back as she called on her **Requip Magic**. She now donned armor that black with silver trimming that has silver crosses is multiple places. It had a revealing silver-edged breastplate and plates flanking her hips that reach down to her waist-guard. The waist-guard left the front of her body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark imbuement. She has large plates guarding her legs. Two wings that were composed of a membrane-like material sprouted from the back of the armor and her hair was now tied up in a ponytail. Jellal blushed in spite of the moment, but stopped due to a growing pain in his head. He rubbed his forehead as it grew, but then he stood up upon hearing a small voice.

"Go to him." it said.

"What? Go to who? Who's there!?" he cried out, looking for the source of the voice.

"Go to him." it said again. "You know what you must do to save your friends."

"N-no I don't!" Erza looked back at him with fear in her eyes.

"Jellal! What's going on!?"

"Go to him." it said once more as he saw what appeared to be the outline of a person enveloped in light, floating before him. They then proceeded to float towards the wall, disappearing into it as quickly as it came.

"Into the fire. Go to him." it said until it vanished.

Jellal stood staring at the wall where the figure had vanished. Erza walked up to him slowly. "Jellal?" she asked as he continued to stare. "Are you alright?"

"U-um. I think so." he pinched himself. "Though I might have seen a ghost."

"A… ghost?" she said confused. She looked at the wall and back at him. "Riiiight."

"I swear I saw someone!"

"What were they saying?" Erza asked. "You were saying go to who, so who's that?"

"I-I think they were telling me to go to Natsu." he replied.

"How can you be sure?"

He shrugged. "The last thing they said was 'Into the fire', so I assume that's what they meant." Erza nodded, though she didn't understand why he was the only one to see this ghost.

With a short burst of energy, the blue-haired boy took off down the halls of the labyrinth, hoping to find the boy and do what he needed to, even though he had no clue himself.

_I hope I'm right about this._ He thought as he made a quick left. He also did a quick check in with the others, finding that all but one of the teams answered the call. Fortunately, and unfortunately, Natsu hadn't, giving him the suspicion that he was right to follow the figures advice, but also that the pink haired boy was in trouble. As he ran, he saw the ghost appear again, shrouded in light and make a right up ahead. Assuming that's where Natsu was, he followed without giving it a second thought.

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_Back with Natsu..._

The pink-haired boy was more frustrated than he'd ever been. He was getting thrown around and every bone in his body hurt. He threw punches that Zero describes as if he was petting him, and it ticked him off to hear that on top of everything else. He'd been forcibly given this magic, which he now felt was supposed to allow him to protect his friends, despite the reasons it was originally given to him in the first place. Yet here he was, being tossed about like a wave in the ocean.

He hit the ground, holding his ribs from the excruciating pain coursing through his body, though he tried to push all the pain deep within him to keep on going. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do.

Zero sighed with a sick smile on his face, stepping on the dragon slayer's back. "I thought you'd entertain me a little while longer." he said. "Oh well! Time to die!"

"Stop!" called a familiar voice as both turned to see Jellal standing at the doorway. His face holding a stone cold face.

"Ah, Jellal! You've returned to me!" Zero exclaimed with a sick glee about him. "I knew you'd come to your senses, though that fool Brain couldn't see it!"

"Your right. I did come to my senses." he said as Zero lifted Natsu off the ground and tossed him aside.

"Very good my boy!" Zero smirked. "Now, finish him off."

Jellal stood in silence for a while and began to walk towards the pink-haired boy. As Natsu watched in anger, he wondered how Jellal could have given in so easily to Zero. Though he was confused when he sensed no killing intent from the boy. Jellal knelt down and grabbed him by the head, his eyes looking as if they were filled with sorrow.

"There is nothing else I can do to help you." he said, opening his palm in front of Natsu's face. "Except for this." To his and Zero's surprise, a yellowish flame appeared in the palm of Jellal's hand. "This is the **Flames of Rebuke**." he said. "Take it and consume it."

"Are you insane!?" Natsu exclaimed. "I can't eat-"

"You can!" Jellal barked. "Laxus consumed one of my lightning attacks earlier today! It made him stronger as well! You can do it too! Just believe!"

Natsu stared at him before nodding. He concentrated and began consuming the flame slowly. When the flame disappeared, Jellal fell backwards from exhaustion, while Natsu rose once more. He gulped the last bits of the flames down, then spread a grin over his face as he wiped his mouth.

"Now I'm all fired up!" he shouted as he lit his fists ablaze. This time, they turned into a yellowish flame just like the **Flame of Rebuke**.

Zero scoffed in annoyance. "Just when the fly had been swatted." he sighed, charging up a blast of darkness. Natsu rushed him as the flames formed a yellow aura around him, clashing with his red scales. He dodged the blast, landing a powerful kick to Zero's chin.

"RAAAAHHH!" he roared as he proceeded to punch Zero's chest rapidly against a wall, shaking the entire room.

"ENOUGH!" Zero bellowed, tossing the pink-haired boy away from him. "I'll teach you to get in my way!" He grinned evilly and charged up an attack Natsu hadn't seen before. Within his mind, Natsu gathered a move that Zero hadn't seen. One that could potentially bring down the roof. He charged, igniting his arms and generating long torrents of flames from them, making them spiral around and creating a small whirling storm of flames. "**Dragon Slayer's Secret Art - Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!**"

"Such a long and unnecessary name for an attack!" Zero cackled. "Try this on for size! **Genesis Zero!**" Thousands of black spirits began to appear from a ball of green darkness in his hands, flooding towards Natsu as they connected with his attack. He lasted only a couple seconds before they engulfed him completely. The pink-haired boy struggled within the blackness, unable to move or do anything. He felt his mind giving up all hope as his eyes closed at last.

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"N...u"

Within moments his eyes opened, looking around in the darkness upon hearing a voice.

"Who's there!?" he demanded.

"Natsu."

It was a female's voice. He'd never heard it before, nor did he know who could possibly be speaking to him as he floated in the darkness around him.

"Do you give up so easily?" she said. The form of a person shrouded in light came close to him. She floated around him, right next to his body and yet he could not see her face.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked in wonder and annoyance at the earlier comment. He didn't like being called a quitter.

"Who I am does not matter. Right now, what matters is what _you_ want."

"What I… want?" he asked, confused.

The person nodded. "Indeed. I've seen your heart and your will to protect those you care about. Do you want them to be hurt?"

"Is that a threat!?" he growled.

She sighed and shook her head. "It may be a threat, but not one of mine for I am an ally." she said. "I only wonder if this is where you give in and leave your friends to fail and for the Oracion Seis to get what they desire. Also, what about Zeref?" she questioned. "Don't you wish to pay him back for the trouble he caused you all?"

"Well duh."

She smacked his head. "If what you want is revenge, then you have not the heart I had hoped for. The magic given to you. You feel it is a partial gift and a partial curse, but I ask you to look at this magic of yours as a gift. Given to you so that you may protect those you hold dear."

"...You're right." he said in acknowledgement. "But how can I get out of here?"

"Let the will of your heart guide you, not to the path of darkness which is easy and short, but on the path of light. Though it may be long and hard, follow your heart and do what is right." she said, floating off into the distance. "Use the power given to you as a conduit for your heart's desire."

As she disappeared, she launched one final question that rang about inside the dark space.

"What does your heart truly desire?"

At that moment, he made the tough decision.

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_Meanwhile with Jellal..._

He couldn't believe it was over. The whole of the black phantoms swallowed Natsu whole and disappeared in an instant. All that was left was himself, Zero, and the lacrima in the room. He was shaking as Zero continued cackling, with all the time in the world as Nirvana got forever closer to its destination. He heard another voice over the magical intercom system thanks to Hibiki's telepathy.

"Jellal! Did you make it to Natsu!?" He asked frantically. "The others are in position and the edge of Magnolia is just a few miles away from your current position!"

"I-I," he started, but he was too shaken to finish. He'd tried to help his friends after recalling the horrible deeds he'd done while under Brain's control, yet he still failed after resolving to destroy the thing Brain sent him to find. "I did."

"That's gre-"

"He's gone." He said, cutting Hibiki off.

"...What do you mean?"

"Zero. He killed Natsu."

"N-No way." Hibiki muttered.

"I-"

Suddenly, a light started to shine where Natsu once stood. It grew brighter, blinding both him and Zero.

"What is _that_!?" he cried out.

"What's happening?!" Hibiki called.

The room's temperature instantly started to spike as the light grew and black phantoms dispersed, disintegrating from the light's touch.

"I-Impossible!" screamed Zero, frightened by the light. "Once trapped in the land of Nil, one cannot return!" A flurry of flames roared to life as the light grew. A figure could be seen knelt on the floor as the room began to tremble. The identifiable pink hair gave it away immediately.

"T-This power is not human!" Zero cried as Natsu slowly rose. "It's the might of a dragon!"

With a mighty stomp, a dragon's roar sounded off as Jellal's face burst into a grin. "Hibiki, the dragon has landed!"

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THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS!

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this chapter, though Jellal's little line at the end got me like -_- . I legit didn't know a cool line to put down. I'll change it eventually, but I hope someone out there might give me a good one to substitute in! LEMME KNOW!

Anyway, with one to two more chapters left in the arc, I hope you all have enjoyed my story! Thank you all sooooooo so much for reading and I'll see you next time! UwU

STAY SAFE OUT THERE! BE ALERT, NOT ANXIOUS!

With all the luv,

WritingHobbyist2020

Song(s) in this chapter:

\- None this chapter :P

New character's and their ages in this chapter:

\- None this Chapter :P

**AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D**


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